Lineage
by writerchic16
Summary: Still recovering from their experience in New York, Fi and her family take a another trip to visit Molly's parents. Fi wants answers from her grandmother, and Molly realizes that she needs to believe in the paranormal.
1. Chapter 1

**Lineage**

Summary: Still recovering from their experience in New York, Fi and her family take a another trip to visit Molly's parents. Fi wants answers from her grandmother, and Molly realizes that she needs to believe in the paranormal.

A/N: And here I am again, thanks to Ares' Warrior Babe, who renewed my obsession with So Weird. Unlike my other stories however, this will not be an action-packed, super-long epic. It WON'T be because I'm working on way too much other stuff to start that again (so I keep telling myself, over and over). This is just another post-Twin story that tries to answer some questions that were never addressed. It'll be ten chapters max, but I have a feeling it'll be even less than that.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"Maybe I should do another load of laundry before I go..." Fiona Phillips muttered to herself while she held up a wrinkled and dirty shirt. They'd been home from New York for less than two weeks, and Fi was realizing that she hadn't been doing laundry as much as she should have. It had been easy to just throw whatever she had that looked decent into a bag, then plan to wash the rest when she got back.

However, she hadn't counted on their mother deciding to make a trip to visit Grandma and Grandpa. Both Fi and Jack had been more than a little surprised. Previously they had only seen their grandparents every couple of years, if that, and they had just visited not even a year ago. The siblings had come to the conclusion that their mother was trying to work out her relationship with her parents, after the progress she had made with her father last time. That in mind, they tried to show enthusiasm and support for the idea, even though they would rather be catching up with their friends at home.

The shirt was tossed into her hamper. Fi looked around for more stuff to pack, then noticed her CD player wasn't in her room. O_h, right, Jack borrowed it when he went running this morning, _Fi thought. A quick glace into the hallway showed that her brother was just walking up the stairs. "Jack!" Fi yelled, with the hope he would hear her before he went into his room.

Her brother to stopped like he'd been about to run into oncoming traffic, make an abrupt turn, and dash to her front door. "Fi! Are you okay?" he exclaimed.

"I'm _fine_," Fi assured him. She resisted the temptation to roll her eyes, but it took some will-power. He'd been extremely jumpy and protective of her ever since The Incident, as they were calling it, in New York. "I just wanted to ask for my CD player back so I can pack it."

Jack let out a sigh of relief. "Fi, don't scare me like that! When you shout my name makes me panic!"

"You heard me calling from my room. How could I be in danger if I'm in my room?" Fiona argued. At first she thought he was sweet for worrying about her, but after more than a week of this behavior, it was getting on her nerves. Fi supposed it didn't help that, if she was honest with herself, his anxiety over her safety mirrored her own.

Slightly embarrassed, Jack absentmindedly scratched the back of his neck as he stood in her doorway. "I don't know...look, just don't do it, please?"

"Okay, I won't," Fi retorted, some annoyance in her voice. When went to go back to his room, she called, "And don't forget to give me back my CD player!"

Fiona shook her head as she went back to packing. Her fall over the side of that building had really shaken her family, which wasn't helping her get over her own fear. While her family was just in shock from the one event, Fiona had the knowledge that the demon, or whatever it was that had pushed her over was still out there. It was pretty unlikely that the demon was satisfied with just terrifying her. She was sure that it was out to kill her, and was just forming another plan of attack.

The idea scared her so much that she could barely sleep at night. How was she supposed to live knowing that some supernatural creature wanted her dead? How was she supposed to feel safe until she knew it was destroyed?

Her father had said that evil couldn't hurt her since he was protecting her. But it didn't change the knowledge she had gained that supernatural forces wanted her dead, and weren't going to stop trying.

"Fi?

Startled by her mother's interruption, Fiona dropped the t-shirt she'd been holding. "Mom! Uh, hi."

"Are you okay, baby?" Molly asked, not for the first time that day, as she entered the room and sat at the edge of her daughter's bed. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

"Trust me, it takes a lot more than that to scare me these days," Fiona remarked, the demon still on her mind. When her mother frowned and lowered her eyes, she didn't say any more on the subject. Of course Fi had told everyone that an evil creature had pushed her off the roof. And of course, neither her family nor the Bells dared to believe her. Since no one else had been able to come up with an explanation themselves, they quickly rejected Fiona's story without much discussion and tried to move on from the whole ordeal.

_Especially_ her mother, who almost yelled at her every time she brought it up. This angered Fiona, so their relationship was a little tense at the moment. "What do you want, Mom?" she asked. She attempted to keep the resentment out of her voice, but her words still sounded harsh.

Molly let out a deep breath and looked up at her daughter. "I know you're mad at me, but...I don't know what to say, baby. I'm sorry, but I can't believe you. I just can't. You're...you're asking me to believe that some evil being attacked my daughter...I can't go there, Fiona." She then lowered her eyes again. "I couldn't for your dad either. It's too much."

"But don't you get it? I'm _afraid for my life_ here," Fiona cried. She could feel her eyes moisten, but fought back the tears. "You're my mom. You're supposed to make me feel better."

Upset, Molly shook her head. "No, I....I've been there before, okay? I've tried to believe before! It's a scary place, Fiona! When you're faced with a world full of evil...you _never_ feel safe. _Never_. The only way to preserve your sanity is to go back to thinking that none of it is real."

"That's great for you," Fiona retorted, sarcasm and not an ounce of sympathy in her voice. "But some of us can't do that."

Molly surprised her by nodding in agreement. "I know, baby. But...I just can't. I'm sorry, and I hope you'll accept that." When Fiona didn't say anything, she began to leave, but she stopped at the doorway. "And I know this doesn't help, but...please try to go easy on your brother. That day...really affected all of us."

_No kidding,_ Fiona thought as her temper spiked. But she fought it down and simply nodded. When her mother left, she did her best to distract herself by packing.

* * *

As her mother drove to their grandparents' house, Fiona was resting her head on her seat with her CD player and her headphones on. Much like when she first found out her and her dad's shared passion, "Another World" was on repeat. It was her comfort song, the one that connected her to her father when she needed him. And it was safe to say she needed him more at that moment than ever before.

While she had been elated to finally contact her father, the more she thought, the more she realized it hadn't been enough. Even though they had only had five minutes together, if that, Fiona was berating herself for not asking him _something_. At least her father had given her the clue that the demon had been one that was jealous of the living. Then again, how much of a clue was that, really?

There was a bump in the road, which distracted Fiona from her thoughts. She looked up to see that her brother, in the front, had the passenger seat back and his eyes closed. Her mother seemed tired, but she was staring at the road with her eyes forced wide open.

Fiona glanced at the window and was relieved to see that she recognized their surroundings. "We're almost there, right?" Her question had caused Jack to open his eyes and look around as well.

"Yeah, baby. Start waking up, Jack," Molly replied. She then paused and let out a deep breath."Okay guys, I know things have been tense with us lately. And I'm not asking you to get over...what happened right now. But can we at least _pretend_ that everything's fine? I really don't want them to worry...especially your grandpa. He's still recovering from his heart problems."

"Well, yeah. I wasn't _planning_ on telling them that their only granddaughter almost fell from a Manhattan skyscraper," Jack agreed as he sat up in the seat.

Then he glanced at Fi, and Molly met her daughter's eyes in the rear-view mirror.

Of course Fiona was not okay with this. She had wanted to talk to her grandmother about everything and get her input. While not a practicing witch, Grandma Kathleen _had_ to have some knowledge of the spirit world from her mother. But since she couldn't say that, Fiona just replied, "Yeah, I understand."

She could always corner Grandma Kathleen one night when her mother and Jack weren't around.

Though she clearly wasn't sure if Fiona meant it or not, Molly still seemed a little more relieved. "Good. Thanks, baby."

Ten minutes later they were pulling into the grandparents' driveway. Before Fiona even opened the door, Grandma Kathleen rushed out of the house towards the car. "Finally!" she exclaimed. Even though Jack was closer, she pulled Fiona into a bone-crushing hug. "Oh my goodness, I was so worried about you, love."

"See, Kathleen? I told you the girl was fine," Colin said. He was much calmer as he walked up to them, and proceeded to give Jack a brief hug in greeting. "Good to see you, Jack."

"Hey, Grandpa," Jack greeted, but turned to stare in bewilderment at his grandmother.

Fiona was doing much of the same while she tried to reassure her grandmother of her well-being. "I'm fine, Grandma," Fiona said after she'd managed to break away. Even though she had an idea of the answer, she still asked, "Why were you worried about me?"

"Oh, ah..." Kathleen trailed off, suddenly aware that everyone was staring at her with confusion. "I know this may sound a wee bit loony, but a couple of weeks ago I just had the strongest feeling that you were in trouble."

At that, Fiona glanced at her mother to get her reaction...and received another surprise. Molly's jaw had dropped in shock, her grip tight on a suitcase handle. It seemed as if she had suddenly realized something, but didn't want to believe whatever it was.

Which only made Fiona come up with about a dozen questions. Of course, Fi knew that Grandma Kathleen must have had a premonition of her fall. But why would her mother jump to that conclusion? _Did_ she secretly believe what Fi had been telling her all along, that their family had witch blood? Then Fi's mind flashed back to that first night in New York, when her mother had admitted to getting psychic feelings. Was her mother recognizing that maybe Grandma Kathleen had the same ability?

Sure, some might say that she was basing a lot on her interpretation of her mother's facial expression. But no one ever accused Fi of thinking small.

To disrupt the mounting tension, Kathleen waved a dismissive hand. "Listen to me, making a big deal out of a little feeling. It must have been my mind playing tricks on me, because here you are, safe and sound!" She gave Fi another, quicker hug, then moved on to her grandson. "Jack! Give your old grandmother a hug!"

Fiona leaned against the car and watched the reunion. Jack dutifully returned the hug. But Fi was more interested in how her mother and grandfather greeted each other. Last time they were there, it had been nothing more than a stiff acknowledgment. So Fi was relieved when, even though there was still some tension, Molly and Colin gave each other a brief hug and at least seemed happy to see each other.

Finally, it was Fiona's turn to hug her grandfather. "Missed you, Grandpa!" As they broke away, she asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Just fine, Fiona. It takes more than some heart problems to bring this rock down," Colin assured her, then grabbed a suit case out of the trunk to prove his point.

After each of the suitcases had been taken by someone, Kathleen headed back towards the house. "Come along, then! I've got fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies just out of the oven!"

"Right behind you, Grandma!" Fiona called as she felt her stomach grumble. At the promise of snacks, Fi and her family automatically quickened their pace. They were ready to relax after that long drive.

* * *

"Whoa."

Fiona and her brother had gasped in unison at the sight of the huge pool table that was sitting in the middle of their grandparents' finished basement. The felt was a dark green, and intricate, swirling carved designs covered the sides and legs. Colin grinned at his grandchildren as he positioned the full triangular rack in its position at the end of the table. "She's a beauty, isn't she? A local bar was getting rid of it, really was a steal."

"It is beautiful," Jack replied while he moved closer to glance down at the carving on the side. "I just didn't know you were a pool player, Grandpa."

Colin shrugged. "Your grandma was buggin' me to get a hobby, to 'help me relax.' She's still worried about my heart, you know. So I knew the guy at the bar who was selling it, and decided that billiards would be that hobby. I've found I have quite a knack for it."

"Well, be ready to defend those words. Jack crushes _everyone_ at pool," Fiona spoke up. She liked the game too, but had never beaten her brother...much to her annoyance. Except for a few times when he scratched on the eight ball.

At that information, Colin seemed disappointed. "Oh. I was looking forward to teaching you kids how to play. I didn't realize you already knew."

"Yeah, the Bells have a pool table in their basement. Fi and I have been playing since we were little," Jack informed him, then frowned in sympathy. "Sorry, Grandpa."

Solely to make her grandfather feel better, Fiona said, "Well, we could still use a few pointers."

"Speak for yourself, sis," Jack replied, a smug expression on his face as he put a hand on Colin's shoulder. "Look at it this way, Grandpa. At least now you don't have to feel guilty about beating us. Or trying to, anyway."

Thankfully, Colin wasn't upset further, but laughed and grabbed a cue. "So that's how it's going to be then. Alright, Jack, prepare to prove your worth."

"I sense a challenge in those words, and I accept," Jack replied as he also took a cue from the rack nailed to the wall nearby.

Fiona laughed, then slowly made her way to the stairs. "I've got winner, okay? Let me know when you're done, 'cause I'm going to go catch up with grandma," she called. While she normally loved to watch pool, she had a feeling there would be many more opportunities to do so during the week.

And besides, she wanted to check if her grandmother was alone so she could ask her some questions.

After Jack and her grandfather assured her that they would tell her when the game was over, she ran up the stairs. She heard voices coming from the kitchen, so she headed that way. It was where she expected them to be, actually. Her mother and grandmother liked to have their private talks in the kitchen every visit. But they'd already been in there a little while, so Fiona didn't mind that she would be interrupting.

On a hunch, she stopped just short of the doorway and stood off to the side so she wouldn't be seen. Yes, it was eavesdropping. But Fi was curious if they were talking about Grandma's "feeling" she mentioned earlier. If that was the case, she knew the subject would instantly change the second she walked in the room.

"...Ma, I told you, Fiona is _fine_," Molly was saying around a mouth full of chocolate chip cookie. "Just let it go, alright?"

But Kathleen wasn't convinced. "No, I won't. You're hiding something from me. I sensed it the minute you got here." There was a pause, then she quietly added, "Look, Molly, you know I was never as..._involved_ in our family's abilities as your grandmother was, but lately..."

"Ma, stop it!" Molly almost shouted, her mouthful of cookie swallowed by then. "I've been having this argument with Fiona ever since we got back from New York, and I refuse to spend my week here having that same argument with you!"

About to retort, Kathleen hesitated when she'd taken in her daughter's words. "What happened in New York, Molly?"

Thrown off, Molly replied, "What?"

"You said 'ever since we got back from New York,'" Kathleen answered calmly. "I'd like to know what you meant by that."

At a loss for words, Molly could only stare, her mouth slightly open. Fi took that as her cue to enter.

After she'd worked up her courage, Fiona stepped into the kitchen, which instantly caused the two woman to turn their attention towards her. "She's talking about..."

"Fiona, don't!" Molly interrupted, her tone harsh.

But Fi ignored her. "She's talking about when I was pushed off the top of a Manhattan skyscraper," she finished. Her grandmother gasped in horror, and her mother put her head in her hands. "By a demon."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Fiona hadn't really known what she expected to achieve with her announcement. While she knew her grandmother was more open to the paranormal than her mother was, Fi also knew that Kathleen had only experienced it through Great-Grandma Fiona. Throughout Fiona's childhood, there had been many stories of her great-grandmother practicing witchcraft and even belonging to a coven But once Kathleen came to America, she put that all behind her.

Would her grandmother even be able to answer any of her questions? Maybe not. But she had known that the creature Fiona encountered during her last visit was a banshee. It gave Fi hope that Grandma Kathleen would at least have some answers.

Besides, she couldn't let her mother just blatantly lie to her grandmother like that. If she had her suspicions, then Grandma Kathleen deserved to know the truth.

When Molly lifted her head to give her daughter an intense glare, Fi had to admit she questioned whether her interruption had been the brightest idea. At this point, though, she had to continue. Kathleen had remained quiet, but she seemed to be contemplative, as if she was trying to understand what her granddaughter had just said.

"I'm sorry, Grandma, I know this is a shock," Fiona began. Her nerves caused her voice to shake slightly. "But I wanted to ask you about it because I need to know everything I can about the demon. I feel...I _know_ it isn't going to stop its attacks. And I'm worried that eventually there will be a time when Daddy just can't save me."

Overwhelmed, Molly demanded, "You can't do this, Fiona! Y-you can't just come in here with that story and expect your grandmother to believe you! It's too much!"

"Fiona...your father. He pulled you up, didn't he?"

Kathleen's quiet statement managed to shock her daughter into silence.

However, Fiona was trying to hold in her excitement. Her grandmother believed her! She finally had someone to talk to about this! "Yeah, he did," Fiona replied with forced calm. Even though she already knew, she had to ask, "How did you know that, Grandma?"

"I saw it, love. You are probably aware of this already, but all O'Sianhan women are blessed with the gift of sight. Almost all of us have premonitions," she answered, with a meaningful glance at Molly.

While she was amazed that a long-time suspicion of hers had finally been confirmed, Fiona had come up with even more questions for her grandmother. "I don't get it," she admitted. "You always told us that was just a rumor about our family."

After another quick look at her daughter, Kathleen replied, "I felt it was best since I knew your mother's opinion of the topic. Not that you should blame her, love. It's a hard thing to accept, especially when she's struggled with it her whole life."

"Ma!" Molly exclaimed. "How could you tell her that when..."

Kathleen shook her head. "Molly, you need to open your eyes and see what's happening! You can't keep it from her anymore! She needs to know for her own safety!"

"I can't deal with this right now," Molly retorted, then stormed out of the kitchen.

Amazed at all this information, Fiona could only watch her mother leave the kitchen. This was not the moment to try to convince her mother to believe in the paranormal. This was when she made her move and asked her grandmother about...everything. When her mother was gone, Fi numbly sat down at the kitchen table.

Although upset by her daughter's behavior, Kathleen put it aside for the time being and sat down across from Fiona. "Are you alright, love?"

"So...we are witches?" Fiona managed to ask.

Her grandmother nodded. "If you mean you and me, then...technically, we're not trained, but yes. My mother, and countless other O'Sianhans, were trained witches who could do some powerful magic. I've no doubt you could achieve that level if you practiced, but it's probably too late for me. Besides, I'd be afraid for your grandfather's heart if he saw me casting spells one day."

Fiona chuckled, but quickly went back to the seriousness of the conversation topic. "Grandma, I did cast a spell once, so I know I have some kind of ability. But how come I don't have premonitions...like you and Mom do?"

"Your mother told you she has premonitions?" Kathleen asked in surprise.

"Well, not exactly. She said that she has 'feelings' sometimes," Fiona explained. "But I'm pretty sure she gets premonitions too, especially after what you told me. Does she?"

Kathleen hesitated. "I...I don't believe it's my place to say, love, I'm sorry. But as for you, Fiona, I think your gift has manifested itself in a very special way. You do not have the gift of foresight, but I can sense it from the many stories you tell me about your encounters with the paranormal. You have the ability to see into their world."

"Whoa" Fi whispered. She had always believed that she inherited her obsession with the supernatural from her father. But to learn that it had come from her mother's side as well...her unusual hobby didn't seem so unusual anymore. It was practically her destiny.

Then she got an idea. "Wait, do you think my ability developed this way because of my dad?"

"Maybe. I don't know," Kathleen admitted. "It would certainly make sense, wouldn't it?"

Fiona lied back on the chair and sighed. "Grandma...what do I do about this demon? Did Grandma Fiona ever have to fight one?"

After about a minute of consideration, Kathleen replied, "I don't know about my mother. I know she wouldn't have told me something like that, wouldn't have wanted me to worry. But when I was a girl she used to tell me stories about brave O'Sianhan witches battling evil."

"How did they do it? How did they fight the demon?" Fiona asked eagerly. This was exactly the kind of information she had been hoping to get.

"Spells, of course," Kathleen answered with a nostalgic smile as she remembered the story. "They would spend weeks preparing spells and potions, so they would be ready the next time the demon attacked. They had to wait, you see, as it is almost impossible to track one down."

Her arms crossed, Fiona thought of her own spell book. "I can do spells. I don't know the first thing about potions, though."

Again, Kathleen paused in thought. "There's a bunch of my mother's stuff in the closet in the spare bedroom upstairs. We could look through it later."

"That would be amazing!" Fiona replied. The thought of getting to know her great-grandmother, who she was named after, a little better excited her. She was sure along with the spells and potion recipes, there would be plenty of personal letters and such. Who knew what she'd find? Of course, the spells and potion recipes would definitely be useful.

Kathleen smiled, happy about Fi's enthusiasm. "I must say, it is nice to have someone to talk about my mother with who won't dismiss her as a crazy old woman. When your mother was younger, I used to try to tell her stories like my mother did for me, but..."

"Yeah, I can't imagine my mother enjoying stories about witches and demons," Fiona joked, which made them both laugh softly. But then she remembered how her mother had been so upset before. "Hey, you think Mom's okay?"

"You know your mother," Kathleen said as she got up from the table. "She'll sulk about it for a while, but come dinner time she'll pretend like nothing happened."

"Unfortunately, you're right about that," Fi said with a sigh. Then she also got out of her seat and began to help her grandmother make dinner.

* * *

After the fight, Molly sat on the twin bed in her old room, her feet on the blanket and her knees brought up close to her upper body. Up until the kids were born, it had contained the full-sized bed she'd used during her teen years, before she left at eighteen to pursue her music career. However, once Fi was old enough to want her own bed, Kathleen had put in the twin beds since there were only two rooms besides the master. Jack had pretty much taken over the other spare room, even left some books and clothes for their semi-yearly visits.

She hated staying in her old room. It brought up memories, most of which weren't good ones. She had urged her parents to redecorate years ago, but the familiar feelings of teenage angst were still there.

"Get a hold of yourself," she whispered with a quick glance at the digital clock on the wooden nightstand. Dinner would be ready in about five minutes, and she could _not_ go back downstairs an emotional mess.

But how could she just forget about what happened? Ever since New York, Fiona was constantly pestering her, insisting that she believe in the supernatural. Part of the reason she wanted to go to her parents' house for a week was that it would make Fiona put the subject away for a while, and they could all focus on something else. _Anything_ else.

Then her mother surprised her with talk of witchcraft, and Molly's heart sank. She thought she was safe since her mother usually agreed not to tell Fiona about that. But apparently nothing would be held back now. Instead of her intention to give her daughter a break from the paranormal, this trip would only bring Fiona's obsession to a new level.

She couldn't stop reliving the conversation that had taken place maybe an hour ago. Demons...witches...premonitions. The way her mother had looked at her when she told Fiona about their family history with foresight. It was all way too much at once. Add that to her recurring mental image of Fiona falling off that building, and she was on the fast track to a nervous breakdown.

_It _can't_ be real_, Molly thought stubbornly. Most everyone in the world went their whole lives never encountering anything strange. Why couldn't she ever have a normal life? Between her own so-called "witch family" and Rick's dealings with the paranormal, there were many times she thought she should finally just...give in and accept it. But there was this intense, primal instinct that prevented her every time, told her that once she did, her or her children's lives would never resemble anything normal. Because really, how could she consider herself a witch and not feel like a complete...well...crazy person? There was simply no way to believe in both the paranormal and her sanity at the same time.

And she'd told the truth when she said she'd seen some scary things during Rick's investigations. The only way she could ever feel safe was to believe they weren't real.

However, she knew the longer she dug her heels in, the longer her relationship with Fiona would suffer. Maybe it was worth it to lose a piece of her sanity to be close to her daughter again. Their argument at home yesterday had hit a nerve. _You're my mom. You're supposed to make me feel better._

Fi had been right. Molly knew she wasn't being a good mom by never listening to what her daughter was saying. At first she had done it because she felt she was protecting Fi by trying to get her to give up a dangerous obsession. But at this point, Molly was realizing that she had the choice of either accepting what was going on, or never having a stable relationship with her daughter.

And, real or not, Fiona was honestly terrified by something she believed was out to kill her. It _was_ Molly's job to make her feel safe.

_So what's it going to be_, Molly thought. _My daughter, or my sanity?_

She put her head on her knees, filled with dread. Her sanity's chances weren't looking too good.

"Mom? Are you okay?"

Startled, Molly looked up to find her son standing in her doorway. "I'm fine, baby," Molly lied. She ran her fingers through her hair and straightened out her long skirt as she stood up. "Dinner's ready?"

"Yeah, Grandma said to come get you," Jack answered, a look of concern still on his face. "You don't look okay. Mom, I'm going to college soon. You don't have to pretend everything's great all the time."

Molly had to smile at that. That was her son, the protector. "I guess you're right. To tell you the truth, I had a fight with your grandmother and Fi earlier, and I'm not feeling too well right now."

After a second of thinking, Jack threw up his hands. "Fi told Grandma about New York, didn't she? Why can't she just _drop_ something for once?"

"Jack, give your sister a break," Molly said as she crossed the room to him. "Like you, she's really shaken up right now. And while you and I like to trick ourselves into thinking whatever it was never happened, Fi only digs into it deeper. She'll calm down about it over time." _I hope_, Molly thought. But she had a feeling that her comforting words were only that.

However empty, her assurances had their effect. "Yeah, I guess," Jack muttered. "It's just, this vacation would've gone a whole lot better if Fi just kept her big mouth shut."

"Hey, be nice, you," Molly replied, but gave her son a quick hug anyway. "So, how did your game go with Grandpa?"

Relieved by the change of subject, Jack gave her a smug smile. "Easy victory. I creamed him."

"Jack! He's your grandfather!" Molly chided only half-seriously.

"Which means he's a wise, old man who should be able to take a loss," Jack replied as they headed into the hallway. "I'm not going to let him win, and I think he'd be insulted if I did."

_He has a point_, Molly thought with a chuckle. "Alright. But just, at least _pretend_ to be a little modest," she joked. She paused when she saw Fi still in the kitchen. "Hey, uh, you go ahead. Tell your grandparents I'll be there in a minute."

Jack saw that she intended to have a make-up talk with Fi, and shrugged. "Good luck," he told her while he ran off to the dining room.

Slightly nervous, Molly went to the kitchen and leaned on the doorway. Her daughter had been about to pick up a bowl of mashed potatoes on the counter to bring them into the dining room. However, Fi forgot about the bowl the instant she spotted Molly in the doorway. "Hi," she greeted, her tone wary. Clearly she was trying to sense how her mother was feeling.

"Hey, baby," Molly replied, then went to give her daughter a hug. "I'm sorry I freaked out before. This is all just...really hard for me. You know that."

Relieved, Fi hugged back. "I do know," she said as they broke away. "And...and I'm sorry I don't really let up on it. But since Grandma does believe me, I'll try to just talk to her about this stuff. Of course, I still want you to..."

"I get it. And maybe, one day, I'll be there for you like I should," Molly replied. She hadn't known she was going to admit that until she said it, and she somewhat regretted it. She hadn't meant to give Fi false hope. "Maybe. But not right now."

Fi nodded in understanding, picked up the bowl of mashed potatoes, and the two made their way to the dining room.

* * *

"Where is it..." Fi said to herself as she rummaged through her suitcase on her bed. Her family was already downstairs eating breakfast, and she didn't want to be much later. Her grandfather made the best scrambled eggs, which would be cold by the time she got there.

Well, maybe not if she found her hairbrush within the next five seconds. She could've sworn she put in the front pocket so she knew where would be.

In the process of pulling out every article of clothing she brought with her, Fi ended up hitting a solid item. Curious, she pushed aside some pajamas to find her magic book. While packing for the this trip, she'd spotted it on her closet shelf and on instinct decided to bring it. If she was going to her grandparents' house in search of answers, she'd figured that she might end up showing it to Grandma Kathleen. After all, her grandmother still didn't know she had it.

Fi had thought about asking her grandmother about it during her last trip there, but there was never a right time. That, and she had left it at home. Since her father had to get it from somewhere, she was suspecting that that "somewhere" was from Grandma Fiona. Even if Grandma Kathleen didn't _know_ anything about it, she may recognize it, which would confirm Fi's suspicions.

Her hairbrush temporarily forgotten, Fi pulled the book from her suitcase and sat down on the bed to flip through it. When she first got it from her aunt Melinda, she had thought that all of the spells were written in Gaelic. But after some closer inspection, she found that many were written in old English, presumably translations of spells on the other side of the page.

To be honest, she hadn't read another spell from it. Summoning that dragon had scared her. Who knew what the next spell would do? While it was true that she usually didn't shy away from the paranormal, this was just...different. This was real magic that _she_ was using. It was one thing to find other supernatural beings. But realizing that she could be one herself had been overwhelming. Since she always seemed to encounter enough weird stuff to keep her busy, she never tried to practice the ability she'd discovered during that visit.

So she'd avoided magic because it had scared her once. Hah, maybe there was more of her mother in her than she'd thought.

Now she didn't have a choice. If she wanted to be able to defend herself against the next demon attack, she had to develop her gift. Of course she trusted that her father would be there to protect her, but she wanted to help him do it. Besides, after what the demon did to her in New York, she wanted to be able to inflict some damage herself. As she scanned the various spells in the book, she saw some with headings that included the words "battle" and "pain," which looked like she would be able to use in such a situation.

Fi promised herself she would show the book to her grandmother later while she closed it and put it in her nightstand drawer. She would have left it on the bed as a reminder, but she thought of how she was sharing this room with her mother, who would undoubtedly freak out if she walked in and saw it.

Just then she remembered breakfast, and her hairbrush. After another two minutes of searching through her bag with no luck, she ran to the bathroom next door on a hunch. Sure enough, her hairbrush was on the counter near the sink. Annoyed that her mother had clearly borrowed it without putting it back where Fi would find it, she ran the brush through her hair quickly and headed downstairs.

"'Morning, everyone!" Fi greeted as she entered the kitchen, where the rest of her family was sitting at the table finishing up their breakfast. "Any food left for me?"

Kathleen got up from her seat and went to the stove. "I made sure to save you some, love. You sit down and I'll make you a plate." Before Fi could object that she could get her own food, Kathleen added, "I'm happy to do it. I was done eating a half hour ago anyway."

"Thanks, Grandma," she replied as she took a seat next to her mother and across from her brother and grandfather. She then noticed that her grandfather had also been done with his meal and was by then reading the local newspaper.

Jack gave her a nod of acknowledgment. "'Morning, sleepy head."

"I was up! I just couldn't find my hairbrush," Fi replied, with a sidelong glance at her mother.

Embarrassed, Molly gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry, baby. I couldn't find mine and saw the outline of yours in the suitcase's front pocket. Meant to tell you I borrowed it but you were still sleeping."

"It's alright," Fi replied as her grandmother put a plate of food in front of Fi and sat next to her. As Fi began to eat, she asked, "So what are we doing today?"

As he looked over his paper, Colin replied, "We're all going to the flea market not too far from here. My friend says he has some pool sticks he's selling, and I want to buy one for Jack. That way he won't be able to complain about using the old ones downstairs when I beat him."

Molly smirked, and Fi remembered last night when her mother told her that Jack had easily beat Grandpa the night before. "Sure, Da," Molly replied. "But that's still nice of you to buy one for him."

"I already offered to pay for it myself, but he said no," Jack assured her.

Colin nodded. "That's right. It's a grandfather's duty to spoil his grandson when he visits. And his granddaughter, if she should find something she wants."

"Hey, who am I to argue with family duty?" Fi joked. She was happy to be going shopping, but at the same time, she would have to wait until later to ask her grandmother about the spell book.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

At the indoor flea market later, Fi browsed some nearby tables while her brother and grandfather haggled over the price of a pool stick. The small town her grandparents lived in had this event in a huge, old barn for a week once during each season. Fi had plenty of memories of visiting for the occasion and helping her grandparents set up tables.

This time, however, her grandparents hadn't had enough junk to put out this year, so Fi was free to wander the tables as she pleased. Grandpa Colin had said he would buy her whatever she wanted, but knowing both he and Grandma Kathleen were retired, she looked for cheaper items. Not that there was anything over fifty bucks at a flea market, unless a seller had specialty items.

A purple t-shirt caught her eye, so she picked it up for inspection. It seemed barely used, and sure enough, further examination proved that the price tags were still attached. The original price had been crossed out, and a sloppy "3" was written above it. _Three bucks?_ Fi thought. _Perfect._

"Hey, um, excuse me?" Fi asked the man behind the table. When he nodded at her, she held up the shirt. "Could you hold on to this for just a few minutes? I promise I'm going to come right back and buy it."

When he agreed to put the shirt to the side, Fi ran to get her grandfather. She walked up to the table where an elderly man held a nice pool stick in her hand. Her grandfather and brother had serious looks on their faces, which to her indicated that they were still haggling, so she stood to the side.

"Now come on, Bill," Colin insisted, his palms flat on the table. "You and I both know you got rid of your pool table years ago, and that thing's been collecting dust in your garage ever since. You were going to give it away if this flea market hadn't been coming up soon. Five dollars, or we walk."

Bill paused for a second, a serious look on his face, his hand under his chin."Fine, but only because I've known you for ten years."

"Deal," Colin said. The two shook hands, and Bill handed over the pool stick.

As they walked away, Jack pumped his fist in victory. "Fi, you missed it! Grandpa got him to lower the price down from twenty bucks! Thanks Grandpa!"

Colin laughed. "You're welcome, Jack. Now maybe it'll bring good luck."

"I don't think I need it," Jack said as he examined the pool stick in his hands.

"I meant for me!" Colin teased. "Let's hope it's a bad luck charm for you."

While Fi chuckled, Jack retorted, "Nice thing to wish for your only grandson."

Colin laughed again, then turned to his granddaughter. "So Fi, did you find anything you want?"

"Yeah, it's over here," Fi answered. They bought the shirt, and Fi thanked her grandfather before he and Jack went to look visit more tables. She searched among the crowd for her mother to show her the "new" shirt, and spotted her at a table full of old record albums.

Before she could take a step in that direction, however, her grandmother walked over and intercepted her path. "There you are, love!" Kathleen greeted.

"Hey Grandma," Fi greeted and held up her shirt. "Look what Grandpa got me! Don't worry, it was only three bucks."

But her grandmother didn't seem to interested in the purchase. "It's lovely," she replied even though she'd barely glanced at it, then looked around. Her eyes rested on Molly, who was a good distance away, then put an arm around Fi and guided her in the opposite direction. "Come with me, Fiona. There's someone I want you to meet."

Fi sensed the urgent tone in her grandmother's voice, and was instantly curious. "Who is it?"

"An old friend who I think will be able to help you," Kathleen mysteriously replied, but didn't say anymore as she guided Fi towards the back of the barn.

The way the barn was set up, the majority of tables were gathered close together near the front doors, the so-called "prime real estate" of the flea market. Congestion thinned out the further back a customer went. They passed the first group of tables that were crammed together, and the second that had some breathing room, Finally they slowed down as they arrived at the section closest to the back wall of the long barn, that tended to be less populated since it was typically a dark, damp place.

"Grandma?" Fi questioned, but Kathleen shook her head in assurance, and they turned into one of the aisles that held only four tables. They stopped at the second one.

Fi couldn't figure out why this table didn't have a prominent spot at the front of the barn. The table was covered with sparkling jewelry. All of them seemed to contain a deeply colored gem of some kind, and most of it was silver. And they were all beautiful. "Wow," she whispered.

"I'm glad you like it," said the woman about Kathleen's age behind the counter in an Irish accent. Her long, auburn hair reached down to her waist, which was impressive given that she was at least a head taller than Fi's grandmother. Her thin frame was clothed in a long, deep blue skirt and a dark gray sweater. She stretched out a hand for Fi to shake. "You must be Fiona, the granddaughter I'm always hearing about. So nice to finally meet you."

As Fi shook hands, Kathleen nodded proudly. "Yes she is! Fi, this is Nora. We knew each other back in Ireland, and came to America together."

"Oh, cool! It's great to meet you too," Fi replied. For a brief second, she wondered why, in all her visits, she had never met Nora before.

Her question was answered when Nora's expression turned from friendly to serious. "Ah," she said with a knowing look in her eye. "I know why you are here. You, Fiona, are an O'Sianhan witch."

* * *

Shocked, Fi took about half a minute to recover. She would have never expected to hear that from one of her grandmother's closest friends. While Grandma Kathleen knew about their family history with the paranormal, Fi had assumed that she'd put that life behind her when she came to this country. Then again, she supposed she should've caught the hint when Grandma Kathleen had said they knew each other from Ireland. "I-I guess Grandma told you. Are you a witch too?" she blurted.

Nora laughed and replied, "I figured your grandmother wouldn't tell you about me. You must have only recently found out about your heritage, otherwise Kathleen wouldn't have suddenly brought you here. Am I right?"

"Well, Fi's had her suspicions for a while. But...she's had a run-in with a demon, and I knew it was time," Kathleen answered.

At the news, Nora's gray eyes widened. "So young and so untrained, yet they already go after her? This isn't good news, Kathleen. It means they are already aware of the power she holds."

Kathleen nodded gravely. "I feared as much when I heard. So she is powerful, then? I knew she would be. The O'Sianhan magic has been suppressed for two generations - it tends to make itself known if ignored for too long."

"You are correct," Nora replied to Kathleen, but her eyes were focused on Fi. "It is radiating from her, an intense magical energy. She has the potential to be a great witch."

Stunned into silence, Fi could only watch the amazing conversation with her eyes wide. _What's going on here?_ she thought, overwhelmed. Apparently, her grandmother was more knowledgeable about magic than Fi had always thought. And it seemed to Fi that Grandma Kathleen had always suspected that her granddaughter would be the one to renew their family's magic.

But she could ask her grandmother about it later. At the moment, she was more interested in Nora. "I-I don't get it," she finally managed to say. "H-how do you know this?"

"You asked me if I was a witch," Nora answered, then gave her a small smile. "I am, Fiona. My ability is to sense magical presence in others. I've detected a limited amount in both your grandmother and your mother...but you are different. If you embraced your gift, you could be a considerable force."

Fi let out a deep breath as she took in the information. This was good, actually. It meant that with some practice, she could take on whatever demons came after her. All she had to do was educate herself so that she wouldn't, say, accidentally conjure another dragon. "Thanks," she said. "Honestly, that's really comforting to hear."

"Ah, yes, you're worried about your demon problem," Nora replied.

"Yes, that's actually why we're here," Kathleen informed her. "I thought that Fi would be safer, not to mention feel much better, if you gave her one of your protection charms."

Fi's eyes widened, and she gave the various jewelry on the table another glance. "You mean, these are all...but how?"

"All witches have the ability to turn an ordinary object into a charm that will ward off evil. I've just practiced the craft so that mine are more effective," Nora explained, then indicated the pieces around her. "These have all been enchanted."

Though they _were_ pretty, Fi held up her thumb, which wore her father's ring. "They're all wonderful," Fi assured her. "But I'm really not one for jewelry. Is there anything you can do with this?"

It was Nora's turn to be shocked. She put a shaking hand on the ring and leaned in close. "T-this ring...where did you get it?"

Confused, Kathleen answered for her granddaughter. "My mother gave it and its match, to Fi's parents. Her mother still wears the other one."

"Never take it off, Fiona," Nora insisted, so urgently that Fi tensed. "Your ring is packed with protection magic, which your great-grandmother must have done before she gave them to your parents. I also sense a strong spiritual connection, presumably to your father. It has probably saved your life many times." She then dropped Fi's thumb as if it was on fire and took a deep breath. "And I recommend you tell your mother come over here so I can see what magic is in her ring as well."

Though amazed by what she'd just learned, Fiona shook her head and instead replied to Nora's request. "No, no way. My mom would never go for that."

"She's right, Nora. You know how Molly is," Kathleen reminded her.

"It is not essential, but I highly recommend it. At least bring me the other, then, if Molly will not come," Nora compromised, though she didn't seem happy about it. "Not only would I be able to sense the power in hers, but I'd be able to sense the connection between the two. There usually is, if the two were given to two people who are close to each other. Then I would be able to renew the the connection if it has been weakened."

"What would that do?" Fi asked.

"It would help you call on your mother's magic as well," Nora explained. "Though she has suppressed her abilities, they're still there, no matter how much she may try to deny them." She then glanced at Kathleen. "That is how it works for any witch who tries to ignore what she is."

Fi raised an eyebrow when her grandmother lowered her eyes, but decided not to comment. Like any longtime friends, Kathleen and Nora clearly had issues. "Well, that would be great. I guess I could at least ask her for her ring."

"If you do, bring it to me immediately. I wouldn't want your mother unprotected for too long," Nora replied, then sighed and looked down at her jewelry. "I would give you something else to help you, but I think your ring is more powerful than anything I have here."

There was a noise at the end of the aisle, and all three looked up. "Well, you'll get rid of some soon, I think some customers are coming your way. I'll see you later this week, Nora. Even if Fi doesn't get the ring, I'll make sure she comes to say good-bye before she goes home."

"Of course. It was a pleasure meeting you, Fiona," Nora replied.

"You too, Nora," Fi said. Nora quickly began to straighten up her jewelry display as the potential customers neared, and Fi and her grandmother began walking back to the front of the barn. Though she had learned some amazing information, she had only one thought on her mind.

_How can I possibly get Mom to give me her ring?_

* * *

The next morning, Molly felt almost content as she did her make up in the bathroom. For the first time since New York, she and Fi were doing...okay. That little talk they had that first day seemed to smooth things over. Of course, she couldn't deny that Fi would be talking about the paranormal with Kathleen during the whole week. But it took the pressure off Molly, gave her some time to decide what she wanted to do.

Weeks ago, Molly would still be annoyed that Fi was talking about the subject at all. But after New York, everything changed. Molly was starting to understand that no matter what happened, whatever she did, Fiona would always be involved with the paranormal. For Fiona, it was like a personality trait, a part of herself.

Before, she thought that if she just discouraged Fiona as much as she could, Fi would give it up and see reason. Two years of that clearly didn't work. But then she canceled the tour. That would make this stop. It would confine Fiona to their hometown, where she couldn't find all these...things she found.

But then New York happened. They had just been taking an innocent trip for Molly to be on the talk show, and to visit the kids' aunt. And Fi had fallen off that roof. While she wanted to believe with all her might that her daughter had just slipped, she could not deny the feeling in her bones that it had been the result of foul play. Then Fi got back and told her the story about a demon pushing her off.

That was when Molly had her epiphany. There was nothing she could do about Fiona. Just like there had been nothing she could do about Rick. The realization had been...disheartening, and scary, which was why she had been so harsh on Fiona ever since the incident.

After not talking about witches or magic since the fight, Molly decided that this was the way to be. The key to getting long with her daughter was passivity. Fi could do all the investigating she wanted. Molly was just going to pretend it wasn't happening. When that didn't work anymore...that was when she'd consider losing her sanity and believing.

Satisfied with her hair and make up, Molly headed back into the room to check on Fi. Her daughter had been restless the night before, and had already been dressed when Molly awoke. Even though Kathleen and Colin were already up, Fi had decided to try and relax a little before the day began so she wouldn't feel exhausted later. Since Molly had a feeling that Fi had been worried about some perceived supernatural threat, she decided she wouldn't ask her daughter about it.

All part of her new passive attitude.

So when she got back to their room, Molly froze, then took a deep breath. Instead of sleeping, Fi was reading her spell book, which Molly hadn't even known her daughter had brought. _Be passive_, she told herself, as if repeating a mantra. _Be passive. Just pretend she's reading a paperback or something._

"Hey, baby. Feeling better?" she greeted, her voice strained in her effort to be casual.

At her mother's voice, Fi looked up from the book, panic in her face. "H-hey, Mom..." she replied. Even though her mother hadn't said anything, Fi still closed the book and put it in her nightstand drawer. "Uh, yeah, I'm a little better." She then held her breath in anticipation of her mother's response to what she had just done.

Molly sighed as she walked into the room and sat down on the bed. "I've decided I'm not going to yell at you anymore. I'm just...I'm done. I can't believe you yet, but I won't get in your way."

The statement caught Fi by surprise. "Is this because of Grandma?"

"Maybe," Molly admitted. She hadn't been thinking of her mother, but she supposed she was another reason Molly had stuck by her decision to give up. Now that Fi had a supporter in the family, she would be even more unstoppable. "I just don't want to fight with you anymore."

"I don't want to fight with you either," Fi replied. "But sometimes, I won't be able to help it. I'm sorry, I know you don't want to admit it, but you're a part of this too."

Molly stubbornly shook her head. "No, Fi. These are your ideas, your beliefs. None of it has anything to do with me." At least, that was what she had been telling herself. Over and over.

"That's a lie and you know it," Fi retorted. Her voice was developing a note of anger "Grandma's friend said that she detected power in you. You're a witch, just like Grandma Kathleen, like Great-Grandma Fiona...and like me."

Annoyed, Molly jumped up from the bed. "No, Fiona! Don't you see that I'm trying to compromise here? Why do you always have to force this on me?"

"Because I can't stand it that you just keep denying what's right in front of your face!" Fi shouted.

"Well, you..." Molly trailed off, her retort cut off mid-sentence. _"Grandma's friend"?_ she thought. Her eyes widened when she realized who Fi had been talking to. Then her fury spiked. "You...were talking...to Nora...weren't you?" she seethed.

Slightly afraid, Fi noticed she was still on the bed, and stood to face her mother. "Yes," she retorted with as much courage she could gather. "She said that you and Grandma have power, but that I have more because of how long the O'Sianhan magic has been suppressed. And that our rings have _tons_ of protective magic in them, _and_ they connect us to Daddy. You can't stand there and tell me that you've never seen yours glow."

Molly paused, then looked down at her ring. There _had_ been many times she'd had to convince herself that it was just the way it caught the light...even when there was barely a light on in the room. Last time she saw her ring "glow" was _that_ day, during her "premonition" on stage. Well really, she wasn't the one who had seen it. Later on, Irene had joked that Molly didn't have to worry, no one had seen the dazed look on her face because the ring had been so bright. Like Molly, Irene had dismissed it as a lighting error that had worked in their favor.

As if on cue, both rings began to emit a soft light. Molly sucked in a breath in surprise, but quickly put her hand down to her side so it wasn't in her line of vision.

"See? It's right there in front of you!" Fi insisted, tears in her eyes. "You can't keep doing this!"

But after two years of resisting, Molly wasn't about to give in just yet. "Yes, I _can_! Fiona, believe it or not, I am _trying_ to accept that this is part of who you are. That will have to be good enough for now." Before she turned to leave, she added, "And I _don't_ want you talking to Nora again."

Before her daughter could argue, Molly walked out of the room, her intention to go downstairs for breakfast. But she paused at the stairs to calm herself. And tentatively looked down at her ring again.

It was still glowing, now a little brighter than it had been before. Determinedly, Molly made a fist over the ring and stuffed her hand in her jeans pocket as she continued down the stairs.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"That'll be two dollars," Molly said. She hesitated as the pink beaded bracelet dangled temptingly from her fingers. The teenager across from her tilted her head in consideration, then forked over the money. Molly handed her the bracelet and breathed a sigh of relief. For the past hour, people had been trying to haggle with her. After her fight with Fi, she was just _not_ in the mood.

While her son and her father had opted to stay home and test out Jack's new pool stick, the women had headed back out to the flea market again. Kathleen's friend Gwen had devoted her table to her beaded jewelry, and the fashionable accessories were quickly becoming the hottest item at the market. Gwen recruited Kathleen for help, who had in turn recruited Molly and Fi since she hadn't known about their fight. Though Fi had tried to get out of it by saying she wanted to hang out with Jack and Grandpa, she had been coerced into it when Kathleen said she wanted a "girls day out." In silent agreement, Molly and Fi had not been talking to each other the whole morning.

_And here we go again_, Molly thought as she looked over at her daughter. _Whenever I think we might be able to get along, something happens and we're fighting again. Why can't she understand that I really am trying?_

Then it occurred to Molly why Fi had fought with her last night. _Nora_, she thought in anger. _Fi had been fine with letting me accept this over time. But suddenly she insists that I need to believe because _Nora_ had "sensed power" in me. And of course Fi would trust whatever Nora said, because it was so typically her. _

Filled with resentment, Molly pounded her fist down on the folding table, which shook. When her mother, Fiona, and Gwen looked at her in surprise, she took a deep breath. "Sorry, I...I've got a lot on my mind. I need a break." Without waiting for permission, she headed down the aisle and made a right. She hadn't been sure where she was going at first, but the further she went, it became clearer.

She needed to find Nora and tell her to stay away from her daughter.

How dare she, really? Nora _knew_ how Molly felt about her wild ideas. Throughout Molly's childhood, Nora had tried to get her to "embrace her gift" and "continue the O'Sianhan line." While Kathleen wasn't as closed-minded as her daughter, she _had_ told Nora to stop it on several occasions when Molly insisted that she had no interest. Even at a young age, Molly hadn't wanted to be any more different than she already felt.

But Nora wouldn't let up, especially since she had the support of Molly's grandmother Fiona, who though back in Ireland, stayed in touch often enough to know what was going on. Molly finally had enough one day and told Nora exactly what she thought of the woman's supposed "abilities." All along, Molly had held it in and just tried to humor the woman for the sake of her mother and grandmother. Then Nora started pushing too far, and Molly snapped. Harsh, bitter words were shouted on both ends. In a nastier tone, Nora had basically called Molly closed-minded, ignorant, and stubborn. Molly had called her a crazy old woman who had no right to force her to accept in Nora's ridiculous beliefs.

Then she left home, and had essentially the exact same fights with Rick. But this wasn't about him. This was about Nora, and her intention to suck Fi into a world that only existed in her head.

By the time Molly came out of her thoughts and looked around, she was fast approaching the aisle with Nora's stall. A part of Molly wanted to go back to avoid the inevitable blow up they would have should they come in contact. A larger part was too angry to do so. Still, Molly attempted to calm herself down as she walked to Nora's usual table. Maybe they could just have a calm conversation about how Molly wanted her to stay away from Fi.

Yeah, right.

Molly finally found herself standing in front of Nora's table. Surprised, Nora just stared at her for a minute. Finally, she crossed her arms and her expression turned cold. "Molly," she said, her voice stiff. "It's been a while."

"How...dare...you..." Molly spat out before she could stop herself. "How _dare_ you talk to _my_ daughter? You may have gotten away with trying to manipulate me when I was younger, but you can be assured that you will not be able to do the same this time around. Fiona is _my_ daughter, and I want...no, I _forbid_ you to speak to her again."

Molly's tone had been as threatening as she could make it, but somehow she felt it wasn't enough. Nora was angered, but she didn't seem threatened.

"I see you haven't changed, Molly," Nora began. At Molly's outraged face, she narrowed her eyes. "Now you listen to me. Despite what you may have concluded, I _did not_ approach Fiona. Your mother brought her here to give Fiona protection. Because unlike you, she sees what is happening and knows that it cannot be ignored!"

Though it took all her will-power, Molly managed to keep her voice even. First of all, they were in a public place. Second, Molly was trying her hardest to avoid a shouting match. However, it was maybe the most difficult exercise in self-control she'd ever faced. Not only was she furious, she felt betrayed by her mother. _How could she do that to me?_ Molly thought, then shook her head. She couldn't let herself get distracted, that was how Nora would win.

After another deep breath, Molly retorted, "I don't care if my mother's outlook has changed. Mine damn well hasn't. I do _not_ want you talking to my daughter. Her head is filled with enough of these ideas. I don't want you adding to her confusion."

"Still in denial, I see. You must have a constant headache from keeping your eyes so tightly shut all the time," Nora replied. While Molly was shaking with rage, she seemed effortlessly calm.

Which only added to Molly's frustration. "This isn't about me," she said through gritted teeth. "Just promise me you will not talk to or otherwise contact Fiona again."

Though to her credit, she seemed to seriously take in the offer. However, Nora shook her head. "I am truly sorry, Molly, but I can not promise that. If Fiona chose not to contact me again, then fine. But she has already said she wants my help. I can not in good conscience refuse her."

Molly's curiosity broke through the fury. "Help? With what?"

The honest question seemed to lessen the tension in the air, if slightly. "Your rings," she answered. "Fiona wanted me to strengthen the connection between them, to help protect herself against evil."

Nora's answer got Molly's back up once again. "That's crazy," she snapped.

"Please, Molly," Nora insisted. Her expression had softened to one of concern. "You always say you are trying to protect your daughter. It is what I wish to do as well. If you have no belief in what I can do, fine, but just let me have your ring for the day so I can enhance it." When Molly looked like she would protest, Nora quickly added, "Besides, if you sincerely think that I do not have abilities, then what is the harm in letting me have it anyway? Unless you consider me a petty thief."

Though her longtime grudge against Nora made her want to resist, Molly considered the argument. Maybe Nora would be more inclined to respect Molly's wishes if Molly gave her the ring. "Fine," Molly retorted, and took her ring off. Or tried to, anyway. Since she never took it off, she was having trouble getting it to slide off her finger.

"Here," Nora said, then glanced around, as if making sure no one was looking. She then held a hand about a foot away from Molly's finger and chanted, "_A__deinio_."

The ring flew from Molly's finger and into Nora's waiting palm.

"Oh, God," Molly stuttered as she jumped a step away in fear. "What...how..."

Nora kept her cool despite Molly's utter astonishment. "It's a simple levitation spell, a basic one that you could probably do too if you..." She then shook her head. "No, not now. And I know you don't believe, but just so you know, only a force of good can take your ring from you. Evil can not touch it."

Spooked, Molly took another few steps back, unsure what to do. The "simple" display of magic had startled her, confused her. While she had seen strange things before, this was so straightforward she couldn't pretend it didn't happen. Yes, Nora had shown her magic when she was young, but the adult Molly had dismissed it all as child's fantasy.

Though she wanted to grab her ring back, Molly was ashamed to admit she was too afraid to cross the woman after what she'd seen. Since she couldn't seem to get words to come out either, she chose the only option left.

She turned and ran towards the safety of her table.

* * *

Later that day, Jack ran up from the basement to get a drink. He'd been playing pool all day, but he had no desire to stop any time soon. It was a welcome distraction from what happened in New York. For the past few weeks, the image of his baby sister hanging from the side of that roof had been haunting him. This week helped him clear his mind, especially since he'd been spending most of his time with his grandfather...and avoiding whatever drama was going on between his sister and mother.

He'd learned a long time ago to stay out of their fights. Luckily, Fi didn't bother him with that paranormal junk she loved. She knew it would take a miracle for him to admit any of it was real. But for some reason she wouldn't do the same for their mother, even though Molly was just as much a non-believer as Jack was. He never got that. Why was it so important for Fi that their mother believe her. She had her Internet friends to talk to about that stuff, didn't she? Why couldn't she just do everyone a favor and leave them out of it?

Although...he suspected that sometimes his mother wasn't as much a non-believer as she claimed to be. Oh, sure, she snapped at Fi all the time about it, but Jack had begun to sense something else in her reprimands....a kind of desperate fear. It was almost like Molly honestly believed in the demons and evil creatures Fiona claimed to encounter, but disguised her concerns by saying she didn't want Fi to become obsessed like their father had.

He didn't exactly know where he had gotten that idea. But he felt that her mother couldn't be _that_ afraid that Fi would just have a quirky hobby for the rest of her life. And she always said she didn't want Fi dead like their father, but...he'd died in a car crash. There was no connection between that and his paranormal investigations. It had just been a horrible accident.

So what could his mother be scared of unless deep, deep down, she believed?

It was a great irony, but Jack wasn't about to point it out. The last thing he wanted was for his mother to turn her fury on him. Besides, he felt that his mother deserved to have at least one normal kid she didn't fight with all the time...and that sure wasn't going to be his sister.

As he opened the water bottle he'd grabbed from the fridge, Jack passed the living room...and stopped when he saw his mother sitting on the couch, her head back, her eyes closed. Worried, Jack forgot about his pool game for a moment and sat down on the couch across from her. "Hey Mom, you okay?"

The innocent question nearly gave Molly whiplash. She'd snapped her head up in surprise, her eyes flew open, and she jumped about an inch off the couch cushion. "Jack!" she exclaimed, a hand over her heart. "Don't do that!"

"Sorry," Jack said, his brow wrinkled with concern. _What's she so jumpy about?_ he thought. "I just wanted to ask if you're okay."

Predictably, Molly shook her head. "I'm fine..."

"Really? Because you just almost fell off the couch," Jack retorted. He then narrowed his eyes, silently asking her to remember their conversation the other day.

His message received, Molly let out a deep sigh and leaned forward, her elbows on her knees. "Right. Um...it's this fight with Fi. I know we have this fight constantly, but...this time feels like it might have a different ending than the others. I'm just...confused."

Jack had to take half a minute to process the meaning of her words. _That can't mean what I think it means,_ he thought in disbelief. _Is Mom finally losing it?_ "W-wait..." he began as he tried to find the right words. "You're thinking she might be _right_ about all this?"

The look on Molly's face clearly expressed regret that she'd told him she'd been having doubts. "I...I don't...I don't _know_!" she exclaimed in frustration. "How much longer can this go on, Jack? I've been in denial that any of it existed my whole life. Not just when I met your father. My _whole life_. I...I'm just tired of fighting it, Jack."

"But you do realize that it's nuts, right? None of it is real," Jack insisted, with the hope that his words would bring her back to reality. She was actually scaring him a little.

Instead of seeing reason, Molly replied, "I know. I've been telling myself that every day for as long as I can remember. But...so many in our family have believed otherwise. What's more logical, that they were all crazy, or..."

"I don't know about crazy, they just...have a different view of things," Jack tried to argue, but he had a feeling he wasn't doing much good. His mother seemed to be having a nervous breakdown. New York, his grandmother siding with Fi (which he'd heard about from Grandpa), and her fights with his sister all week, he couldn't blame his mother for letting her stress overwhelm her.

It occurred to him that this proved his theory. She really did believe, and it was all coming out in her moment of weakness.

"That's a nice way of putting it, Jack. But I've seen so many things..." Molly trailed off, a faraway look on her face. "Sometimes I wonder how much longer I can pretend they didn't happen, without losing faith in my sanity."

Jack's mouth fell open slightly while he struggled to find the right words of assurance to say. But none were coming to mind. His mother didn't seem to be in the mood to listen to reason. And there were only so many different ways he could tell her it was ridiculous to believe in the paranormal.

So he did what he usually did in an awkward moment like this...he left. "Hey, uh, Grandpa and Fi are waiting for me downstairs..."

"Oh, sure, go ahead." She stood up and nervously ran her fingers through her hair. "I should go get dinner started. Your grandmother went to the store to pick up some groceries."

Jack nodded, but his gaze had fallen on her bare left thumb. "Mom, where's your ring?"

"My what? Oh..." She said, then stared at her naked thumb. "I...I...it was getting in the way when I was making some extra bracelets earlier, so I took it off and ended up leaving it there by accident." At her son's worried look, she assured him, "Gwen has it. I'll get it back tomorrow."

While it was a strange thing to lie about, Jack had a feeling that none of what his mother just said was true. But it didn't really matter anyway, as long as she hadn't lost it. He knew how important that ring was to her. "Okay. I'll, uh, see you later."

Forgotten water bottle still in hand, Jack ran back down to the basement. To be honest, though, he wasn't thrilled at the idea of spending more time with his sister, who was the main reason for their mother's current mental condition. But he couldn't exactly tell her to leave in front of Grandpa, so he shoved down the feelings of confusion and frustration as he put on a fake smile. "Sorry about that," he called out. "So Grandpa, did you finish her off yet?"

His grandfather had been creaming Fi in the latest game, but Jack entered the basement to find his sister gone and Colin starting up a new game. "Where'd she go?" Jack asked.

"Did you get lost on your way to the fridge, Jack?" Colin teased. "Fiona decided to go to the store with your grandmother. I don't know if I can beat you at a game before they come back, but I sure am willing to try."

Jack grinned and grabbed his new pool stick from the rack on the wall. "You're on, old man."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Fi dug through the boxes in the spare room's closet in search of the boxes her grandmother said would be there. Fortunately, Jack, along with their grandfather, had gone out to get lunch for the family, so the room was empty. If Jack had been there, Fi doubted he would be happy to learn that Grandma Kathleen was keeping old spells and other similar mementos in "his" room. When Jack had begun using the room, Kathleen had shoved everything in the closet's convenient secret compartment, which was behind the closet's easily removed back panels.

"How come you saved all this stuff, Grandma?" Fi asked as she took out yet another shoebox that appeared to be about thirty-years-old. She then handed it to Kathleen, who set it down next to the ten others that were on the bed. "I can see holding on to it in case Mom picked up the craft, but...well, it's pretty clear _that_ never happened."

While she let out a soft chuckle, Kathleen glanced at the contents of the newest box. It held much the same as the others, just pictures and all sorts of papers. "I was going to get rid of it, actually," Kathleen replied. "After your mother rejected the craft, I suppose it would have made sense to get rid of all the spells and whatnot. Nora already has copies of everything she can use, so there's no reason for me to hold on to it."

"So why did you?" Fi pressed. She turned around from the closet and leaned against the wall to listen. Even though stories like this one wouldn't help her fight a demon, she still loved learning as much as she could about her family.

"I...had a feeling," Kathleen remembered. "I guess you could say it may have been a psychic one. For some reason, one day, I was fed up with having all this stuff taking up valuable space and was ready to just throw it away. After your mother, I was sure there would no one to continue the O'Sianhan line. But...I got this overwhelming sense that there _would _be someone who would need it eventually. So I just kept it," she finished, then gave her granddaughter a proud smile. "I guess I finally know why."

Happy, Fi returned the smile. Then it turned to a concerned frown when another thought occurred to her. "Grandma...you seemed to always believe that our family had witches. And you never seemed too upset by it. Why...why did you give it up? If you ever practiced at all?"

Kathleen let out a deep sigh. "I did practice, when I was younger. My mother was eager to teach me everything she knew, and she tried. Up until about the age of eighteen I was a somewhat powerful witch. It would take years before I was equal to my mother of course, but I was getting there."

The idea of her grandmother being a once-powerful witch thrilled Fiona. It gave Fi hope that she would be able to learn much more about the craft, maybe become a skilled witch herself. "So what happened? Why did you give it up?"

"I met your grandfather," Kathleen replied simply, but there was no regret in her voice. "I don't blame him, though. We were planning to move to America, and I knew magic wasn't accepted there at all. Rather than practice in secret, or be seen as eccentric, I decided the move would be easier on both of us if I gave up the craft. It's safe to say, your grandfather was relieved."

Fi's eyes widened. "Wait, Grandpa knows?"

"Of course," Kathleen answered, surprised that Fi was surprised. "I wouldn't have been able to keep that from him all these years. Fortunately, I married an accepting man."

_Wow_, Fiona thought in amazement as she leaned back on the wall. As much as she'd tried to learn about her family over the years, there was so much she had no idea about. For instance, her grandfather never gave any hint at all that he knew her grandmother's stories about magic and witches were real. Then again, Fi supposed that it was easy for her grandfather to forget about it when her grandmother hadn't practiced for years.

Then she thought of something else. "Does _Mom_ know?" she blurted. She just couldn't imagine her mother having the good relationship with Grandma Kathleen she did at the moment if she knew.

Kathleen sighed. "Not as much as your grandfather does," she explained. There, finally, was the regret. "I tried to tell her more and more as time passed, but as she got older, the more she wanted no part of it. And after seeing how she reacted to Nora, I...I'll admit I chickened out a bit. Knowing how much Molly and Colin fought, I wanted to be there for her...and I didn't want her to push me away too."

As Fi learned about her family, she felt more anger towards her mother. Molly had been dealing with the paranormal her entire life, yet she _still_ denied its existence. If Fi thought about it, Molly probably had inadvertently seen more than even Fi had. How _could_ she ignore it all this time?

Actually, it hit Fi that maybe the question she should be asking was _why _her mother reacted to the paranormal this way. Most people had an indifference to it, yet Molly outright hated it. Fi had always presumed that Molly was just afraid of the unknown, adverse to anything beyond "normal."

However, Fi was beginning to realize that it just _couldn't_ be that simple, not after everything her mother had been through. Maybe...maybe that was it. _Everything her mother had been through._ All these years, Molly had been pressed to believe in the paranormal by almost everyone in her life - her grandmother, her mother, her husband, her daughter. She was never given time to slowly accept it herself. It had just been thrown in her face and presented as fact, when most of the world thought otherwise. Those people who had insisted she believed, already had a passion for the supernatural and had rewired their beliefs appropriately. Molly, who clearly longed to be normal, was never given the chance to do so.

Fi had been thinking this since her last fight with her mother, and she was actually starting to feel bad that she had been so unrelenting. Ever since she began these investigations, she never took in to account how hard it was for others to believe. She supposed that might be because she had never needed to have faith in the paranormal - she encountered it, dealt with it, and had no choice but to accept it. She hadn't thought about what it was like for others, having to believe in something so outrageous when they haven't seen much of the paranormal themselves.

Then that brought up the fact that Molly _has_ seen more than the average human (even though she wasn't one...but Fi would have to save that for a later fight with her mother). Fi was beginning to think that her mother had been forced into the paranormal so much that on instinct, Molly resisted. There was no doubt that her mother prided herself in her independence, in living her own life. Maybe Molly had felt trapped by it, and so fought against feeling that way ever again.

Fi had to admit that she hated the way her mother tried to force her beliefs on her. But in a way, wasn't that the exact same thing she was doing? It bugged Fi that all along, she had been a hypocrite, begging her family to have an open-mind when she in fact refused to do so herself. Like Jack often said, she'd "skip the logical and go straight to the impossible." While Fi had learned that _nothing_ was impossible in this world, she did tend to ignore the common sense that sometimes could be applied to a situation.

It was dawning on Fi that her and her mother's main problem was each of their refusal to just accept the other for who she was. Maybe their strained relationship would be better if they worked on that.

"Fiona, love? Are you alright?"

When her grandmother's voice interrupted her thoughts, Fi shook her head. "Uh, yeah, just thinking about...everything."

"Specifically your mother," Kathleen replied knowingly. Fi nodded. "It doesn't take a psychic to see that you're thinking about that awful fight you had with her yesterday. You two seem to be fighting a lot, and you've only been here for three days."

Fiona sighed. "It's just...I want her to believe so bad. It actually hurts _me_ knowing how much she tries to pretend none of it exists. Ever since yesterday, I've been trying to understand why she's like this...and I think I'm finally beginning to understand. The hard part will be finally talking to her about it because she won't _want_ to talk about it."

"Well, Fiona, I have a feeling your mother has been doing a lot of thinking since yesterday as well," Kathleen replied. "And I also think she might surprise you this time. Have a little faith."

The idea was nice, but Fi doubted it would happen. "I sure hope you're right, Grandma."

There were still a couple of shoe boxes left in the closet, so Fi pulled those out. She glimpsed yet another slip of paper with a spell written on it, then remembered what she wanted to ask her grandmother. "Hey, uh, I want to show you something. I'll be right back."

While her grandmother looked at her in confusion, Fi jumped up from the floor - no easy feat since she'd been sitting there for about an hour - and ran down the hallway to her room. She stopped short at the door, and even though she felt cowardly about it, peeked in to make sure her mother wasn't there. Fortunately, the room was empty, so Fi rushed to take out her magic book and bring it back to the other bedroom. "Hey, Grandma?" she said as she entered the room.

"Yes, love...goodness gracious, that's a beauty of a spell book! Where did you get it?" Kathleen asked in surprise. When Fi plopped it down on the bed. Kathleen didn't hesitate to open it up and start skimming the pages.

Her grandmother's reaction made Fi's heart sink. It clearly indicated that Kathleen had never seen it before, which meant she didn't know where it came from. "You mean...you don't recognize it?" Fi asked, still hopeful that she may have misinterpreted the reaction.

"Not this one in particular," Kathleen asked, distracted as she examined the book's ancient lettering and drawings. "It's exactly like something my mother would have used, though." She finally noticed Fi's disappointment, and frowned with concern. "What is it, love?"

"I got it from Aunt Melinda," Fi answered bluntly. "Who got it from Daddy."

"Why on Earth would your father have a spell book? And why would he then pass it on to his sister?" Kathleen asked, completely surprised and bewildered.

Fi couldn't hold in her frustrated groan. "That's what I had been hoping you could tell me."

* * *

Her bag of cold cuts dropped off on the kitchen table, Molly ran back out to her car, which still had the trunk wide open. Though no one had carried in too much that they couldn't have shut it the first trip in, somehow they had each thought the other would close it.

When her mother and Fi had gone upstairs to clean her grandmother's things out of the closet, Molly had gladly agreed to take the ride to the local deli with Jack and her father. She and Fi had yet to cool down from their fight. Between that tension, and the awkwardness of going through boxes full of spells and potion recipes, Molly would have gone anywhere to avoid being left home alone with them.

She couldn't avoid the situation for much longer, though. Her mother had said they would be bringing the boxes down to the living room so they could all spend some time together. Molly suspected that it was her mother's not-so-subtle way of getting Molly and Fi talking again. And if they were going to be looking through any ordinary mementos, maybe it would work. But the types of mementos would undoubtedly add to the tension.

On the way back to the house, Molly realized she'd forgotten to lock the car. She began to take her keys out of her her pocket, but in the process, her cell phone fell out. Before Molly could grab it, the phone hit a crack in the cement and was sent flying into the bushes.

"Crap!" Molly cursed under her breath. Before she forgot, she pressed the "lock" button on her keys and returned them to her pocket. She then examined the spot where her phone had landed.

Because her father had been otherwise preoccupied with his new hobby, the bushes to the right of the stairs had become slightly overgrown. The area around the bush was covered by other plants, to the point where she could barely _see_ her cell phone. A small opening in the bush was the only way she could still see it.

Though she crouched down for a closer look, she knew right away that she was never going to be able to get her cell phone with her outfit intact. The bush was thorny, and the various other plants looked like they had sharp leaves as well. Never mind her outfit, she might get hurt.

Then a crazy idea popped in her head.

_Adeinio._

She had no idea why she was thinking of the "spell" Nora had used at that moment, but she suddenly had a clear mental image of her ring flying into the woman's hand. That was exactly what she wanted the cell phone to do.

"That's _insane_!" Molly whispered. There was no way that spell would work. It was just a _word_. Words couldn't do anything other than communicate meaning. Words did not cause objects to fly through the air. They just didn't. Nora must have used some kind of hidden mechanism to create the illusion. It had been a simple magic trick, nothing more.

_Then prove it. She said it was a basic spell, right? If it doesn't work, then it was only a trick, and you can calm yourself down. If it _does_ work...well, you won't have your sanity, but at least you'll have your cell phone._

_But it _won't_ work. So there's no harm in giving yourself peace of mind._

Incredulous that she was actually about to cast a spell, Molly glanced around, first at the windows to make sure no one was looking out, then a brief scan of the neighborhood to reassure herself that there were no passerby around. When the coast was clear, she tentatively held out her hand in the direction of the cell phone.

_I can't believe I'm doing this._

"_Adeinio_!" Molly chanted in a clear voice...but not loud enough that anyone on the other side of the front windows could hear.

She breathed a sigh of relief when nothing happened. She hadn't felt a rush of magic, no sparks of light flew from her fingertips...nothing. Thank _goodness_.

But then, as she sat there crouched down thinking about how else to retrieve her phone, it began to _move_. She then realized in horror that she hadn't bothered to move her hand out of position, and at that point _couldn't_. It felt like her hand was a magnet, filled with an intense energy that was slowly drawing the small object to her. "No," she breathed in panic.

But her terror didn't stop the phone from finally launching itself firmly into the palm of her hand.

"Oh, God..." Molly cried softly. Numb, she lowered herself onto the steps in front of the door. Tears in her eyes, she put the hand with the cell phone in it to her forehead and let them fall.

_What am I going to do?_ she thought. _I just _cast a spell_._ _Oh God, I've gone crazy. This...this is it. This is how it happens. I thought this was going to be a slow process, but no, I'm just jumping right in to the total insanity. I can kiss any semblance of a normal life I may have had good-bye._

_Should I tell Fi? Of course she would be angry if I didn't. But...what if I, say, tried to show her the spell...but I couldn't because it's all in my head, and I really am crazy?_

_How am I supposed to know what's real and what isn't anymore?_

Her tears slowed, and Molly lowered her hand so that she was staring down at her cell phone. She was more confused than...than she had ever been before. She couldn't trust her mind anymore and it absolutely horrified her.

But she would go even more insane if she kept this all inside. She _needed_ to tell Fi. Like when she was debating if she should cast the spell, Molly weighed her options. If she told Fi, and was able to cast the spell for her, then she would know that magic was real, and it wasn't all in her head. And it she didn't, she would be put in a nice mental institution where she could get better.

As she slowly stood up, Molly wiped the tears from her eyes and tried to regain her composure. A month ago, she would have sworn that magic or anything supernatural didn't exist. But here she was, somewhat ready to tell her daughter that she had cast a spell. While she was at it, she might as well tell Fi about her visions too. Get it all over with in one painful blow.

But she couldn't confront her daughter just yet. First, she had to go back in the house, have lunch, and pretend she _hadn't_ just had a mental breakdown.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Ever since she entered the kitchen for lunch, Fiona couldn't stop worrying about her mother. Molly's face was pale, and her hands had been shaking when she helped make the sandwiches. While everyone chatted as they ate, she stayed quiet, seemingly intent on finishing quick so she could get out of there. Finally, the most tell-tale sign of all were her eyes, which were red from crying.

_What the heck happened to her?_ Fiona thought, not for the first time. And though the family tried to ignore Molly's current state, they were having trouble keeping it up. She could tell it was taking all of Jack's willpower not to press her to tell them what was wrong, after Molly brushed off their concerns when she walked in earlier.

Finally, while they all finished and began to clear their plates, Fi decided that she needed an answer. Though they were supposed to be fighting, she still cared, and her mother's condition was making her worried to the point of stress. Molly couldn't get away with her feeble attempt at hiding whatever had so rattled her. _Maybe she got a call from Irene about something_, Fi suddenly thought, dread filling her heart. _Maybe something happened to one of the guys?_

Well, if Molly didn't want to say anything in front of the group, that was fine. But Fi needed to know. "Hey, Mom?" she asked while the other three were distracted. "Can I talk to you about something?"

"Not now, baby, I - "

"Yes, n_ow_," Fi snapped, all pretenses dropped as she directed Molly toward the kitchen door. Her mother was too shocked at her daughter's inappropriate tone to object when she was led upstairs to their room. Honestly, Fi hadn't meant to sound so harsh considering how upset Molly was, but she just wasn't in the mood to argue.

Once Fi had closed the door behind her, Molly crossed her arms expectantly. "What's going on, Fi?"

"You tell me!" Fi exclaimed. She raised an eyebrow when her mother tensed, as if caught, but didn't say anything about it. "What happened? Is it Carey? Clu?"

Bewildered, Molly gave her a blank stare. "What on Earth are you talking about? I only talked to Irene once since we got here, and everything's fine!"

Fi relaxed a bit, since she could tell that her mother had honestly been confused by her question. "Okay," she replied, trying to calm herself down. If she used an angry tone, her mother would only go on the defensive. "You do know that everyone's worried about you, right? You look like you just found out someone was in a serious accident."

"I do?" Molly asked in surprise. She grabbed the make-up mirror she'd left on her nightstand. "Oh, God, I look like crap," she muttered, then let out a nervous laugh. "I wish I'd known before I went in to lunch. At least now I know why everyone was looking at me."

Her mother's forced composure was really starting to annoy Fi. "What happened, then?" she retorted. "Was it when you went to the store? This morning?"

"Look, Fiona, I..."

"Don't Mom, just don't," Fi warned her. Though concern had temporarily overtaken her anger, and she had spent the morning thinking things over, she was still plenty sore about their fight. "If you're going to stand there and lie to me, I'm walking out of here right now."

Her mouth left hanging open at the interruption, Molly stared at her daughter for a second, then shook her head. When Fi only narrowed her eyes in determination, Molly understood that she meant it, and fell onto her bed. "Fine," Molly whispered.

"Fine, what?" Fi pressed. Knowing her mother, that could either mean "fine, I'll talk," or "fine, leave me alone."

Molly answered her question when she indicated the bed across from her. "Have a seat."

To be honest, Fi was a little surprised. Her mother almost never gave in, never talked about what was bothering her, especially to her kids. Fi had learned to accept over the years that her mother was a closed-off, introspective person. So Molly's sudden willingness to sit down and talk showed that she really did want to work on their problems.

The offer helped Fi take some deep breaths and slowly let go of the anger that had bubbled up as she sat down on her bed across from her mother. The beds had enough space between them that it allowed for conversation. After she sat down, Fi waited until her mother was ready to speak.

Unsure how to begin, Molly said, "I...I've been thinking about our fight...a lot. Um, this isn't easy, but I have to say that...I've been coming around to the idea...of possibly....supporting you, in the way you want me to. I...I don't know if I can believe without also believing I'm crazy, but..."

"Mom, it's not crazy, it's real," Fi quickly interjected. Of course, she was absolutely shocked at what her mother had just confessed, but she wanted to reassure Molly as much as possible that her decision wasn't a mistake. "Think about it. Would so many people believe if it wasn't? Daddy...Grandma...Great-Grandma Fiona...they all believed." _More than you know_, she thought, remembering the talk with her grandmother that morning. _But that's another conversation._ "And it's not just our family," she thought to add. "The hundreds of people who visit my website. They all believe too. The paranormal is real, Mom, it's out there."

Molly let out a deep breath. "That's what worries me. If I do accept...this..."

"The paranormal. You can say it," Fi joked.

"Fine then. If I do accept...the paranormal," Molly replied hesitantly. "I would have to accept...everything. And I learned from your dad that not all of it is good."

Fi didn't know what to say. Of course, her mother was right. There were some very evil beings out there - Fi had just encountered one. Various other creatures like vampires and trolls and Will 'O the Wisps came to mind as well (although she was still unsure which side Bricriu was on). But Fi had also learned there was also some good forces out there, like the kind that had let her talk to her father. "Mommy, I...I'm not going to lie to you. There are some really bad creatures. But then again, there are also evil humans too. You can't disregard something that can actually be pretty wonderful just because of the bad that comes with it."

While Molly considered her daughter's words, Fi couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. That "bad" was what had killed her father, and she was sure that her mother would automatically go back into denial if she knew. But Fi just didn't have it in her to tell her mother that now, not when Molly was so close to finally opening her eyes. Of course Fi would tell her eventually, but when Molly was mentally prepared to process it.

To help her guilt, for the moment, Fi convinced herself that it was what her father would want her to do. He'd want Molly to believe. Everything else could come later.

Molly slowly nodded, a thoughtful expression on her face. "I guess so, baby. Just like I don't think of all the 'real' dangers in the world, I'll...have to do the same for your world too."

"It's not just my world. It's yours too. It's our family's..." Fi trailed off as she realized she was touching on the witch issue, which she swore she wouldn't. She decided just to change her train of thought. "Anyway, look, I...I don't want to rush you. I know I have in the past, but...I did some thinking too. It's not fair that I've pressured you so much these past couple of years. I didn't realize how hard it really is for you. talking with Grandma this morning made me understand that you've really had bad experiences with this. It just wasn't fair, and...I'm sorry."

Her sincere apology shocked Molly, who's eyes had widened in disbelief. She appeared to be more surprised than Fi had been when Molly had confessed her new-found acceptance of the supernatural. "Wow....thank you, baby, that really means a lot. It'll make this much easier. I'd really appreciate it if you just gave me space for a while. I know what I said, but it's still going to take some time for it to sink in. And even though I'll believe you, this doesn't change who _I_ am, and that's a skeptic."

Fi chuckled. Of course she knew that if her mother did start to believe, she wouldn't be at the level Fi was right away. This process would take time. "It's okay, I get it. It's just, you have no idea how happy I am about this. I really needed your support." Overwhelmed, she went over to the other bed and gave her mother a grateful, crushing hug. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, baby," Molly replied as she hugged back.

When they parted, Fi remembered something. "So wait...what were you so upset about? Realizing that you believe in the paranormal?"

Molly became slightly tense again at the question. "I know this is going to sound strange but...I don't know if _you'll_ believe _me_."

"Mom, seriously?" Fi said with a laugh.

"I know, I know," Molly answered, then let out a deep breath. "I went to see Nora yesterday. She did something that kind of freaked me out."

_Now it makes sense_, Fi thought. Nora probably did some sort of magic. Even though she hadn't done any when Fi was at her booth, Fi knew that Nora had some impressive power. Fi decided that she wouldn't bother to ask why her mother had gone to see Nora. It probably involved Molly yelling at Nora to stay away from Fi, and Fi really didn't want to create more tension by bringing the subject up. "What did she do?" she asked instead.

"She...well, she wanted my ring," Molly explained as she held up her hand to show that it was empty. "To do some sort of protection spell. It wouldn't come off, so...she made it fly off my finger. I was so shocked that I ran."

Fi's jaw dropped. "Whoa," she whispered as she imagined how the spell may have gone. "That's so cool! I want to learn that one."

Her mother suddenly became uncomfortable. "Apparently, it's pretty easy to pick up," she whispered, as if she was hoping her daughter wouldn't hear.

_What's that supposed to mean?_ Fi thought, curious. "Mom?" she asked.

In response, Molly held a shaking hand up to her dresser, palm up, in the direction of the lipstick she'd left next to her mirror. "She showed me this," Molly answered, her voice seemingly empty of emotion. She let out another deep breath, then softly called, "_Adeinio_."

Before Fi could ask what in the world her mother was doing, her confusion turned to amazement when the lipstick on the nightstand started to move. It slid along the tabletop, then finally picked itself up and flew into Molly's palm.

"Whoa!" Fi exclaimed in shock. "How...what...that's amazing!" _My _mother_ just cast a spell_, she thought in total bewilderment. _That has _got_ to be the strangest thing I've ever seen. And that's saying a lot._ Her mother had clearly been doing much more thinking on the subject than Fi had given her credit for.

Molly breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Oh, thank God! I'm not insane!" she exclaimed as she hugged her daughter again. "You saw it too! You _saw it too_!"

"Yes, I did, Mom. Like I said, you're not crazy," Fi reassured her as she patted her mother on the back. When they separated, Fi went into her thinking mode. "So you _do_ have our family's magic. That must mean you have premonitions too, like Grandma said...right?"

Though reluctant, Molly nodded. "Yes, baby. Once in a while. Like when you fell off that roof, I...I saw you fall, heard you call for me."

"So _that's_ why you sent Jack to find us," Fi replied in realization. Then she shook her head and went back on topic. "But that's incredible, Mom. Does...does this mean you accept that you're a witch?"

"Witch..." Molly repeated, slightly dazed by the idea. "That's, I think that's more than I can take. Eventually I will, but not right now."

And for Fi, that was enough. "Right," she agreed. "Eventually."

* * *

Fi was somewhat shaken up as she and her mother went downstairs after their talk. Her mother was _finally_, after two long years of trying to convince her, ready to believe in the paranormal. It almost didn't seem real, because Molly had said everything Fi had been longing to hear. Actually, Fi was tempted to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

Nevertheless, at that moment, Fi felt like she could take on the world. After wanting it for so long, she had the support of her family. Now that she wouldn't be fighting with her mother all the time, she felt she would have more energy to take on whatever came after her.

Of course, there was still Jack. But she wasn't even going to attempt to convert him yet. She'd deal with this one stubborn cynic at a time. Besides, she had a feeling that since their mother wasn't going to be so tense about the subject anymore, he would lighten up too. He wouldn't believe her, but he wouldn't yell at her for bringing it up, like he often did when she aggravated their mother too much.

Fi managed to at least sound like her normal self by the time she and Molly reached the living room, where the others were seated on the couches and looking at a mess of papers. More shoe boxes from the bedroom sat on the floor around the coffee table, some still full. "I see you all started without us," Fi joked as she and her mother sat on the couch next to Kathleen.

"Are you two alright?" Colin asked with concern, a couple of old photographs in his hand.

Fi nodded. "Yeah, we just needed to talk."

"We're okay now," Molly assured him. At Jack's doubting look, she added, "Really, I promise."

Satisfied for the moment, Jack smirked. "Good, because you have no idea how much I want to make fun of you for this," he said as he held up a picture of Molly as a child wearing a frilly pastel dress

"Ma! I asked you to throw that out!" Molly exclaimed in embarrassment. The others laughed as she snatched it out of her son's hand and stuffed it under her couch cushion.

"I know you did," Kathleen replied through her laughter. "But I couldn't help but keep it. You were such an adorable child!"

But Molly shook her head. "I was a flower girl for my cousin. I had to wear it!"

"Sure, Mom," Fi teased. After their heavy conversation upstairs, she was relieved that everyone was in a good mood. Since they've all been on edge since New York, it was nice that they could all finally take a deep breath and relax for the moment. "Oh, look, a soda bread recipe! Is this the one you make, Grandma?" Fi asked as she spotted a recipe card among the pile.

Kathleen nodded. "I've made a few tweaks of my own, but yes, that's it. We can make it before you go home if you'd like."

"Your version is definitely better than your mother's, love. I can never have enough," Colin complimented as he squeezed his wife's hand.

"Thank you," Kathleen replied, then grinned. "But I know you're just buttering me up so I don't give the whole loaf to the kids to take home. I'm on to you."

Fi sifted through the various papers immediately in front of her, then froze when she came across a picture of her parents posed with her great-grandmother at a restaurant table. A sad smile crossed her face while she picked it up. "Where was this?"

"Where was wh..." Jack trailed off when he realize what his sister was holding. "Oh wow, that's a really nice picture. It's probably from Great-Grandma's birthday party."

After she'd looked at the picture, Kathleen confirmed, "That's right, Jack. You remember, Fi? When I told you that your mother brought your father to meet the family?"

"Oh yeah! That was when she brought the rings," Fi said as she remembered hearing about the story during her last visit. That story was one of the many instances that confirmed her suspicions about their witch heritage. "I still think it's cool she knew Daddy would be there."

Uncomfortable, Jack went back to the rest of the papers. "Can we skip the creepy stuff, please? There's tons of pictures and other things here that we don't need to talk about...that."

"Jack, that 'creepy stuff' is a big part of your family history, whether you believe it or not," Kathleen admonished, her expression disapproving.

Quick to break up the impending fight, Colin interrupted, "Now, now, we don't need to get into that." He glanced at the pile and picked up a small photo album. "Here, pictures from mine and Kathleen's wedding. I'll bet there's some cousins in here you've never heard about."

After they went through the small album, Fi found herself glancing at the other shoe boxes on the floor. She could see those were the ones with the "creepy stuff" Jack spoke of, the spells she was dying to go through. Finally, she picked one up and set it on the table. "Come on, let's go through this one."

"Fi, there's plenty still on the table we haven't looked at," Molly replied, but Fi could see that she was just trying to keep Jack from getting annoyed.

"Yeah, Fi," Jack said, a wary eye on the box his sister was holding. "You and Grandma can go through all the witchy things you want later, right Mom?"

Fi raised an eyebrow and glanced at her mother, who had suddenly become slightly anxious. _Give her a break_, Fi thought. _You can't expect her to tell Jack like this._ So, to save her mother from further scrutiny, she grabbed a spell written on an index card she'd spotted when she picked up a box. "Hey, here's one for you, Jack! 'To Promote Compromise.'"

"It does not say that..." Jack trailed off when Fi showed him the card, then glared at her. "If you guys start looking through that, I'm going downstairs..."

But Fi ignored him and read, "'These words will travel through the mind, of the stubborn party and unbind, thoughts too rigid to be kind, a compromise they'll disentwine.'"

About to get up, Jack stopped, and slowly sat back down. As if in a trance, he said in a robotic voice, "You know, Fi, suddenly I want to spend all day looking through Grandma Fiona's spells with you. Sounds like a good time!" While the others tried to hold in their laughter, he grinned at Fi, grabbed the card and playfully swatted her with it. "Nice try, sis."

"You never know, it could've worked," Fi retorted. Though she would never admit it, she _was_ a little disappointed nothing had happened, especially after her mother had cast that spell before. She sighed as she put the shoe box she'd grabbed more in the center of the table so everyone could look.

And Jack didn't tell her to put it away. While he looked at other papers instead of looking through the box, he didn't object when his mother and grandmother took from it.

A smug grin on her face, Fi decided not to mention it as she looked through the handful of spell cards she'd grabbed. Next to her, Molly seemed to be in awe while she went through hers, amazed by the sheer amount of spells and recipes there were. "It's...it's overwhelming, really," Molly muttered, more to herself and than those around her. "I really didn't know Morai at all, did I?"

From stories she had been told, Fi knew that her mother had used the Irish term "Morai," pronounced, _MO-ree_, for "grandmother." This meant that Molly was slowly realizing how much of her family history of which she wasn't aware. "Well, I mean, she lived in Ireland. How much did you see her, really?" Fi asked in an attempt to make her mother feel better. She supposed it could compare to when she found out about her father's history with the paranormal - it showed how much she really didn't know about someone she deeply missed.

"Enough. And she called at least once a week," Molly remembered, guilt on her face. "I guess I just never really wanted to know."

Jack shook his head. "Hey, from all the spooky things we're finding in these boxes, I'm thinking you made the right move." At his grandmother's narrowed eyes, Jack suddenly became uncomfortable and stood up. "You know, Grandpa, I think that's our cue to get back to that pool championship we had going on."

"Right behind you, boy," Colin assured him. He quickly said good-bye to the girls and followed his grandson to the basement.

When they were out of the room, Kathleen quickly got up and sat on the couch across from them for easier conversation. "Honestly, I'm glad we're alone. I want to go through these and find ones I best think Fi would be able to..." She trailed off, then glanced at her daughter. "Oh, Molly, are..."

"It's okay, really," Molly said, much to her mother's surprise. She let out a deep breath and leaned forward on the couch. "I want to help."

Kathleen's jaw dropped almost comically, her eyes wide. Actually, Fi was a little shocked as well. Sure, Molly had said she wanted to start believing, but Fi hadn't expected her to show it so soon. "Molly, I..." Kathleen finally replied. "What happened, love?"

"It's complicated, but I've been doing a _lot_ of thinking, and...I can't stay in the dark anymore, no matter how much I might want to," Molly answered, then gave her daughter a sidelong glance. "My baby needs me to be there for her."

Proud of her mother, Fi had a huge smile on her face. That confirmed Fi's belief that they really hadn't just had any old make-up talk...her mother _was_ actually going to support her, even _help_ her with her fight against evil. Again, she wanted to pinch herself. "Thanks, Mom."

"Alright, now that that's settled," Kathleen said. She began to clear off some of the other papers, and replace them with the boxes filled with spells and other helpful notes. "We'll go through these and see which ones Fi might be able to use, for defense or otherwise." When Molly picked up a couple of papers in front of her, Kathleen raised an eyebrow. "You know, Molly, I have been meaning to ask what happened to your ring."

Clearly not wanting to go into the whole story, Molly just replied, "I went to go talk to Nora, and she asked me for it."

"_Oh_," Kathleen said with understanding, though there was more surprise in her words. Fi had expected that, since from their previous argument, she knew that Molly and Nora definitely weren't on good terms."Well then Fi, you need to give Nora yours so she can do the connection spell, as she's probably just been able to strengthen the one ring. Your grandfather and Jack are planning on stopping there later, you might want to tag along with them." She then glanced at Molly. "And it would give you and I a chance to talk."

"Sure, Grandma," Fi said as she also leaned forward on the couch to get closer to the coffee table. After being on her own for so long, it felt surreal to be preparing herself for a demon attack with her grandmother and her _mother_ helping her out.

But it was definitely a good kind of surreal...the kind that made the idea of evil forces after her slightly less terrifying.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Though she had made peace with her daughter, Molly still couldn't sleep that night. Telling Fi that she would start believing in the paranormal had changed her. While she had her doubts over the years, she had been able to hide them, to still convince herself that none of it was real. But that part of her life was over...she couldn't trick herself into oblivion anymore, not when Fi knew. If she knew her daughter, Fiona would want her to get more and more used to the supernatural, to the point that they could have a casual conversation about whatever she'd encountered recently

She didn't want Fi to be disappointed, but Molly suspected there would be several times when she wouldn't be able to be as accepting as Fi wanted her to be. However, Fi had also compromised through her promise to give her mother some time to get used to the idea. Maybe between the two changes in behavior, they could actually get along for more than a few days at a time.

Naturally, all this talk of the paranormal had her thinking about Rick. It amazed her that after he had tried _so_ hard to get her to believe him, she had managed to stay in denial until her daughter convinced her thirteen years later. She actually felt a little guilty that she had never given in at all back then. After a while, he tried so hard to tip-toe around her, to hide what he investigated, but she still resented him for being involved. He worried her..._so_ much, and no matter how much she begged, he wouldn't stop.

But, just like Fi had for her, she was starting to see this fight from the other point view. He must have been incredibly frustrated those last few years. He loved her, Molly knew he did, and all he wanted was to share all of those fantastic discoveries with her. Molly also had a feeling that, like Fi, he'd wanted her support to get him through the rough spots. Her heart broke a little thinking of what Rick must have gone through, both facing the paranormal and fights at home.

And then Molly made the mistake of thinking about how maybe, just maybe, if things had been different between her and Rick...he wouldn't have gotten in the car that night.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, Rick," she whispered into the darkness of the bedroom, a tear threatening to fall from her eye. "I'm so, so sorry."

With her new acceptance of the supernatural, she wondered if he could hear her. She hoped he could.

Curious, she glanced over at the other bed to make sure Fi was sleeping. Molly would've appreciated it if her daughter _hadn't_ heard her quiet plea, as she'd had enough emotional discussion for one day.

But Fi wasn't even in her bed.

Startled, Molly sat up straight. They had both gotten ready for bed together, so Molly knew Fi had gone to sleep earlier. _I'm sure she has her own worries to keep her up at night,_ Molly thought. Since she wasn't sleeping anyway, Molly decided to get up and see where her daughter was, and see if she could help in any way. At this point, both her thoughts about Rick and concern for Fi would surely prevent her from going back to sleep.

She made her way down the hall, and after seeing that the light wasn't on in the bathroom, continued down the back stairway since that was closer. The kitchen was empty as well, so Fi wasn't looking for a midnight snack. _Well, a two in the morning snack_, Molly corrected herself when she saw the time on the microwave.

_So she didn't have to go to the bathroom, she wasn't hungry...where is she?_ Molly thought, halfway between the kitchen and living room. Her heart just about stopped when she remembered when Fi went missing during the night their last visit too, and how Jack had to carry her back.

"Fiona?" Molly whispered as she quickened her pace to check the rest of the rooms. _Please let her be here, please let her be here... "Fiona!_"

"Mom?" Fi whispered back from the living room

About to check the den, Molly let out a sigh of relief as she turned to follow her daughter's voice. "Thank goodness," she said when she found Fi on the couch, with more of Grandma Fiona's papers in her lap. "I hope you know you just about scared the heck out of me. I looked over, and you were gone," she said while she sat down on the couch next to her daughter, their backs to the window.

"Sorry, Mom," Fi said, then indicated the papers in front of her. There was guilt in her face - she must have also been remembering the last time she wasn't sleeping at two in the morning. "I couldn't sleep, and remembered we hadn't put any of the papers away, so I thought I'd look through them again. There were a few we didn't really look at before." Fi then hesitated, her tone cautious when she added, "Besides, I figured it couldn't hurt to study up on the potions Grandma said she was going to teach me."

Instead of becoming agitated at the mention of witchcraft, Molly simply let it go. "Too bad you don't have the same dedication to your math homework," she joked, in an attempt to get past the somewhat awkward moment.

Fi laughed, then glanced at her mother with concern. "Wait, what are _you_ doing up?"

"Same. I just couldn't sleep," Molly said as she absentmindedly took some index cards and began to go through them while she talked. They'd learned that Grandma Fiona had kept her spells organized on index cards, some even filed alphabetically. "Find anything interesting?"

Fi didn't answer for a minute. When Molly gave her a curious look, Fi almost reluctantly held up one index card, her hand shaking. "I found this one."

Bewildered, Molly took the card from her and read aloud, "'To Call a Spirit'...oh, baby, you really don't think you'll be able to contact your father with this, do you?"

"It could work," Fi insisted with intense hope. "If we change some words, it could work!"

"Change some words?" Molly repeated in confusion. She looked back at the spell and continued to read it aloud:

"'Powers on the other side, I beg of thee

To send my ancestor's soul to me

She is one who is badly missed

Allow her to appear in our midst.'"

Molly then nodded in understanding. "Oh, I see, you would have to change the 'she' to 'he,' and 'ancestor' to 'father.' But Fi, there are a million different reasons why this spell might not work. You can't get your hopes up."

However, Fi wasn't even paying attention, her eyes were wide with fright. "Mom?"

"What is it, baby?"

"You do realize you just read the spell aloud, right?"

"What...oh, Fi, nothing's going to happen," Molly said dismissively, though she had to admit she felt a spark of fear as well.

As if on cue, flames shot up in the fireplace. Both Molly and Fi jumped in shock, then grabbed on to each other, ten times more afraid than they had been. Especially when the flames briefly turned a bright shade of blue before becoming red, and settling down to a normal roaring fire.

Terrified, Molly wondered what in the world she had just done. Or rather, who she had just summoned.

"B-blue flames..." Fi whispered. "That means a spirit is present."

"You are correct, love."

Distracted by the flames, Molly and Fi hadn't noticed a spirit appear directly in front of them. The older woman was translucent in form, and wore a long, dark green tunic dress that reached down to her ankles, with long sleeves and a scoop neck, a silver necklace her only jewelry. Her deep brown hair reached the middle of her back, and her brown eyes regarded them with kindness, along with a little bit of amusement.

Molly was shocked to find that she recognized the figure instantly. "Oh my God," she whispered in complete awe. "Morai."

* * *

Fiona took half a minute to asses the situation, her amazement overwhelming her senses. Her mother had just summoned the ghost of her great-grandmother, totally on accident. Not only had Fiona been given the opportunity talk to someone she never thought she would, her mother was still curled up on the couch next to her, shaking with fear.

Her quiet night had just turned real complicated, real quick.

"Oh my gosh," Fi whispered, too stunned to say much else.

In contrast, Grandmother Fiona's transparent form slowly came toward them, around the couch, and took a seat across from them, as if sitting down for a casual chat. "I'm sorry to scare you both, but it's so nice to finally get to talk to you. I didn't think Kathleen was ever going to tell you about that spell."

"Wait, Grandma knew about this and purposely didn't tell us?" Fi replied, anger in her voice. Grandma Kathleen _had_ to know how much Fi wanted to contact her father, right? Wouldn't this spell be the first one Kathleen showed her?

"Not on purpose, of course," Grandmother Fiona assured her, as if reading her great-granddaughter's train of thought. "She just wouldn't have seen need for it, when you were looking for battle spells. Considering that your father would instantly rush to your aid should you ever face that demon again, it would be rather useless."

Meanwhile, her mother looked as if she were having a panic attack. "Mom?" Fi asked, worried.

Much to Fi's surprise, Molly responded by burying her head in her daughter's shoulder. "This isn't happening," she mumbled. "This is _not_ _happening_. I-I...I'm dreaming. I'm still upstairs in my bed, sleeping, and I'm dreaming."

"Mom, don't be like that..." Fi retorted. After all the progress they made, Fi was annoyed that her mother would revert like this. She then gave her great-grandmother a helpless glance, silently asking her to do _something_ that would make Molly calm down.

Fortunately, Grandmother Fiona got the message, nodded, and leaned across the coffee table. "Molly...Molly, love, look at me," she said quietly, as if talking to a frightened child.

Molly reluctantly picked her head up, and slightly loosened her death grip on her daughter's arm. "This...this isn't possible..." she cried, her eyes moist.

"Yes it is, you know in your heart it is," Grandmother Fiona insisted in a pleading, gentle tone. She then reached out and put her hand over Molly's loose one, which was resting on her knee. Though the ghost's hand didn't seem to actually come in contact with it, Molly still winced as if it had. "You can feel me, love. Because of your gift. You can sense my presence."

The tears that had been threatening to fall finally did so, but Molly didn't care enough to wipe them away. "I...I do, I can...oh God help me I can," she sobbed. "I...I'm so scared."

"Mom, it's okay, we're not in any danger. You can accept this," Fi insisted. Briefly she wondered if they _were_ in any danger just by contacting the spirit world, but of course she wasn't going to express her concern. To be honest, she was eager to start asking her great-grandmother a million questions, but held back to give her mother time to process.

Thankfully, Molly calmed soon enough. The tears slowed, and she remembered to wipe them away. "I just...this is amazing. I never thought I'd see you again," she said to her grandmother.

"You might not have if you hadn't finally opened your eyes. Molly, I'm so proud of you," Grandmother Fiona replied, happiness in her expression. "I'm so glad you stopped fighting what is in your blood. It was a struggle for you, but this will be worth it, I promise."

Though in shock, Molly managed a smile at the praise. "Thank you, Morai...a part of me still doesn't believe what's going on, but...I'm trying. And..." she paused, her eyes lowered. "...and I'm sorry. We never really got along when you were....well, back then. I always regretted never apologizing for some of the hurtful things I said."

"Apology accepted, love," Grandmother Fiona replied, then after some hesitation, added, "And I suppose I owe you one as well. I could have been a little more patient with you. After how willing your mother was, I just wasn't used to one of our own resisting the craft."

The touching moment was abruptly broken when Molly's eyes widened in confusion. "Ma? She always said she didn't practice much."

_Uh oh_, Fi thought, wincing. Either her great-grandmother didn't know what Kathleen had kept secret, or just didn't care. But Grandmother Fiona wasn't unnerved by her slip, if it was one. "I know. You may want to ask her about it later on."

"Actually, Great-Grandma...Grandmother Fiona...Morai?" Fiona began, not quite sure how to address her great-grandmother. However, the other Fiona seemed pleased at the last suggestion, so Fi continued. "Right, Morai. I have so many questions about our family magic, demons...just everything." As she spoke, she realized that she probably wouldn't have enough time with Morai to get all the answers she wanted. So she skipped right to the most important one. "Don't get me wrong, I am really happy to see you, but..."

Morai nodded in understanding. "But you want to talk to your father. I'm so sorry, love, but I'm afraid that isn't possible. Your father is your protector, your so-called 'guardian angel.' Spirits lose their strength the longer they are in the human world. The more you call him, the less he would be able to shield you from evil." When both Fi and Molly looked as if they were about to protest, she assured them, "I know you would gladly trade that to be able to spend time with him, but you have no idea how much his soul has saved you from over the years. Once that was gone, evil would come after both of you in a heartbeat."

Though disappointed at the thought of never seeing her husband again, Molly instead asked, "Wait, b-both of us?"

"Of course. Evil is naturally attracted to power," Morai explained. "While Fiona is the most powerful living member of the O'Sianhan line, you still have an impressive amount of magic, even if you have spent your whole life suppressing it."

While her mother thought about that, Fi was reminded of a previous conversation about her own magic. "Morai? Why don't I have premonitions? Grandma said it was because I can see the paranormal instead. Is she right?"

"Is that what she told you?" Morai replied, surprised. Then she tilted her head in consideration. "I suppose that's a plausible explanation, and a good guess since she doesn't know the truth."

Fiona stared at her, stunned. She thought she at least had one of her questions answered with her grandmother's explanation. But this meant that Fi still didn't know _what in the world happened to her power_. It almost seemed ironic that she would be the only living member of the O'Sianhan line currently involved with the paranormal, but _not_ blessed with the family gift. "So...what, this means I just didn't get our power? But then how come I can cast spells?"

"When did you cast a spell?" Molly blurted, concerned.

Rather than go through the whole dragon story, Fi replied, "I'll, uh, tell you later." She then refocused her attention on Morai, silently telling her to answer the question.

Morai looked pained as she began her story, like she felt she would be betraying someone's confidence if she answered. But she let out a deep breath and answered anyway. "He never wanted to hurt you, Fiona," she insisted. "He was only looking out for your best interest."

Startled, Molly's eyes widened. "_Rick_? What...how...he knew?"

"Yes, love," Morai answered sadly. "I'm so sorry you had to find out like this. But...he began to have suspicions about our family, especially after he met me. I confirmed those suspicions over the years for him, as he grew more and more certain. He know you wouldn't want him to know though, didn't want to acknowledge it...so he never told you he'd figured it out."

"But...what does Daddy have to do with my power?" Fiona demanded. Of course she was upset that her father had kept a big secret from her mother, even if he'd been right in thinking Molly wouldn't want to deal with it. However, that was a discussion for another time.

Morai let out another deep breath...surely a reflexive, symbolic gesture considering that she didn't have an actual body. "He...suppressed it, love. Before his death, he knew he was in trouble, that demons would be coming for him. He didn't want Molly to have to raise two magical children, who would be targeted by evil forces."

"Two? But Jack isn't...oh my God," Molly whispered.

"He is an O'Sianhan. The gift is more prominent in women, but he does have some ability. Or would, anyway," Morai explained. "You see, I was all the way in Ireland and couldn't cast the shield spell he wanted me to cast, which would effectively cut the two children off from the supernatural world. So I sent him to Nora. She cast the spell for him, quite well, in fact. And she ended up giving him a spell book that I had given her to take with her overseas." She paused as she thought of the memory. "I suppose she knew that one of you would need it one day, which was why I was so happy when you finally received it from your aunt, Fiona."

_And there it is_, Fi thought. All of her questions had been answered in the space of not even five minutes. As it turned out, her power and her magic book were connected in one amazing explanation.

While she wanted to be angry at her father for what he did, she just...couldn't. He was her daddy, and it was his job to protect her any way he could, which he still did in death. She was almost grateful to him for giving his family a normal life, for a while, at least. Though she reveled in weird at her current age, she did appreciate the completely average childhood she had....minus the whole being raised by a single-famous-musician-mother thing.

"But she didn't cast the spell right!" Fi suddenly blurted as the idea struck her. "If he cut me off from the paranormal, why do I run into it all the time now?"

"Nora's spell only cut off signals sent by your magical identity as a witch. She didn't factor in the natural curiosity you would inherit from your father," Morai explained.

_That's all it is? "Natural curiosity?"_ Fi thought. All along, Fi had thought maybe she was somehow attracting all these paranormal beings she encountered. But she supposed that could be her magical essence - after all, it had only been pushed down, not destroyed. Which brought up another question. "So wait, if I read the right spell, I...would be able to undo it? And get my power?"

"Well, the spell typically requires the cooperation of both the witch under the spell, and one who is not," she answered with a sidelong glance at Molly. "But yes, it can be done. The spell is in your book."

Excited, Fi also looked at her mother, only to find that Molly looked scared again, probably not pleased by the idea of her daughter practicing magic. "I need to, Mom," Fiona said. "I need all my power if I'm going to beat this demon."

"But you might not want it, baby," Molly replied. "Premonitions...they're sometimes more of a curse than a gift."

Though the idea did frighten her, Fi shook her head. "It doesn't matter what I want. If I'm going to survive everything that comes at me in the future, I need to use my power."

"Then I guess...we'll have to talk this over with your grandmother in the morning," Molly replied, still hesitant. Fi still gave her a grateful smile.

Pleased, Morai stood up. "I'm so sorry, loves, but I have to be going back. Spirits can only be in the human world for so long."

Though she had many more questions, Fi nodded in acceptance. She couldn't have all her big questions answered in a single night. Besides, she was sure there were many of them that Morai either wasn't allowed to answer or didn't know.

"Morai, I...I love you," Molly said, a tear in her eye once again.

"I love you too, Morai," Fi added.

"I love you both, so much," Morai replied as she "touched" each of their chins in a parting gesture. Her hand lingered when she got to her great-granddaughter. "I'm very glad I was finally able to meet you."

Fi smiled. "Same here."

And then, Morai wasn't there anymore. Exhausted, Fi put a comforting arm around her mother's waist, and the two headed back up the stairs.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Though Molly had expected to wake up late the next morning after a sleepless night, she was still a little surprised when she saw that it was after eleven. Even _Fi_ was gone, her bed made. Embarrassed to have slept so long, she jumped out of bed threw on some clothes, figuring she could take a shower when they got back from wherever the family went that day. If they hadn't already left.

She supposed the ghostly encounter the night before had left her emotionally drained and in need of rest. Understandable, as she was still trying to convince herself it wasn't a dream. Even though she did believe, the experience_ could_ have been a dream - that something had potential to be supernatural didn't automatically make it so. The only way to find out would be to ask Fi about it when she got downstairs.

On her way to the kitchen, Molly also found herself in a good mood, the best she'd been in since...since, well, a long time. It must have been the combination of actually talking to her grandmother again, and reconciling with her daughter. Before this trip, she would have thought both of those were totally impossible.

"Good morning, Ma," Molly greeted, the thought of the new state of her life keeping her upbeat. Her mother raised an eyebrow at her daughter's unusual cheeriness, but smiled back in reply as she cleaned up some of the dishes from that morning's breakfast. That made Molly notice that no one else was in the kitchen. "Where is everyone?"

After she'd put the last plate in the dishwasher, Kathleen replied, "Your father took Jack and Fi to the park with him. He meets some friends there every week to play some chess, and decided to bring the kids along. Probably to show off, since his friends are always bragging about their own grandchildren."

Molly laughed as she poured herself some of the cold coffee that was still in the coffee maker, then popped it in the microwave. "Hopefully Jack and Fi won't be too bored. Why didn't you go with them? I would have been able to meet up with you on my own."

Slightly nervous, Kathleen took a seat at the table, and patted the chair next to her for Molly to do so as well. "I stayed behind because I thought you might need to talk, after what happened last night."

_Duh_, Molly thought, mentally smacking herself for not realizing that sooner. But instead of making a quick exit, she got her coffee from the microwave and sat down across from her mother. "Right," she finally answered. "I guess you talked to Fi."

"Mhm. You two had quite a shock last night, didn't you?" Kathleen replied, amused at the thought. "Don't worry, love. My first encounter with a ghost went much the same way."

The words took a second for Molly to process, but once they did, her eyes widened. Though her grandmother had hinted that her mother was more involved with the supernatural than she thought, she just...hadn't expected Kathleen to speak of it so casually. "You've conjured a ghost too?" she asked. Again, she could not believe the serious question had come out of her mouth. It would take a while to wrap her mind around this new sensation of believing in the paranormal.

Kathleen nodded, a nostalgic look on her face. "My father, after he died of a heart attack. I hadn't been practicing long but I wanted to talk to him more than anything...somewhat like Fi does now, but at a lesser intensity. To this day, it is the most rewarding experience with magic I've ever had." She then let out a deep, sad sigh. "I feel so awful for both you and Fiona...the power in your hands, the strong desire to see him, but he is still out of your reach."

"I thought about that too. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to try and contact him," Molly admitted softly, the yearning in her heart once again. She hadn't felt the full impact last night, but the more she went over the conversation, the more she was devastated by the idea. After so many years, she'd found out she'd had the power to contact Rick all along...but wasn't allowed."It's just so _frustrating_," she confessed. "What if we only summoned him once? Would it sitll..."

Though she sympathized, Kathleen shook her head. "No, love. Think about all the awful creatures Rick and Fi have encountered. Do you want to take that chance?"

After she managed to nod in agreement, Molly took a sip of her coffee and changed the subject. "So, Ma, there was something else Morai said that got me thinking. She said I should ask you about when you...practiced."

Caught off-guard, Kathleen took a second to figure out what her daughter meant. Then realization came over her face "Oh. Yes, I suppose I have been keeping a secret from you," Kathleen admitted as her voice became filled with regret. "I've always led you to believe that I did not witchcraft consistently, that I dabbled in it for a few years in my youth, but never picked it up."

A slow wave of fear came over Molly as she wondered just what her mother had been hiding. "'Led me to believe?'" she asked quietly.

"It's nothing bad, love," Kathleen quickly replied as she patted her daughter's hand. "At least, I don't think it is. You see, when you were young, I saw how badly reacted to Nora and her involvement with the craft, so I...downplayed my own involvement in it. Before I came to America, I was quite a powerful witch. I'd been practicing ever since I was young, but I think every O'Sianhan woman has a knack for mastering the craft quicker than others would."

Stunned, Molly tried to figure out how she felt about the idea. _Her_ mother, who had always seemed so...distant from her family's history with magic, had once been a powerful witch. True, Kathleen had never outright shunned her heritage, but she never seemed enthusiastic about it either. That in mind, her first question was, "Do you still..."

"Not often," Kathleen explained. "Of course, that will probably change now that you and Fi have somewhat accepted the craft. But I only use it in emergencies, or to talk to my parents every once in a while if something has happened."

The small amount revealed was still enough to startle Molly. "Parent_s_? You talk to Morai?" When Kathleen nodded, Molly thought of another part of the conversation the night before. Morai had told them what happened to Fi's powers...which Kathleen had no idea about. "Oh my God," Molly whispered. "She never told you."

"Told me what?" Kathleen demanded.

Though nervous, Molly quickly recounted the story Morai had told them about what Rick had done. "I just...I can't believe all this was going on and I never even suspected anything," Molly confessed when she was done. "Although, it probably helped that I was trying my hardest to _ignore_ whatever might have been going on."

Meanwhile, Kathleen had leaned back on her chair in shock. "But how could _I_ never know? Why would she keep this from me? Did she think that I would object to Fi and Jack being put under the spell? Because I most certainly wouldn't have, I can assure you of that. If anyone needed to be shielded, it was those babies. In fact, I have to wonder why she didn't just ask me to do it."

"Maybe...maybe she thought you wouldn't, since you didn't practice anymore," Molly suggested in an attempt to calm her mother down. "And maybe she was worried you would tell me, and Rick and I would fight even more. You and I have always been close, Ma. Would you have been able to keep this a secret from me for so long? Even if I never wanted to hear it?"

The reasoning hit home, and Kathleen sighed. "I suppose you're right, love. It wouldn't have felt right keeping this from you, and she must have known that." She then paused, lost in thought. "So Fiona wants the shield lifted. She does need her power, and whatever protection the shield offered has probably been broken by her investigations. There may be one complication, though."

"What?" Molly asked.

Kathleen hesitated, clearly not wanting to explain, but did so anyway. "The shield. If it was cast separately, one for Fiona and one for Jack, then we have no problem. But if it was one shield placed over both...then we would have to lift it from Jack too."

"We'd need him to read the spell with us?" Molly asked in horror. There was no way her son would agree to that, not in a million years. Even if by some miracle, he _did_ believe them, he wouldn't want to receive whatever power the shield had blocked.

But Kathleen shook her head. "No, the spell works if only one shielded witch reads the spell. However...we _would_ need his permission. And his power, if he had any, would be restored."

"If he had any...well, Jack doesn't believe anyway, so we could just ask him to give us permission," Molly reasoned, thinking of the plan as she spoke. "He might think we're nuts, but it won't matter to him. And he probably won't have power anyway..right?"

Though there was doubt in her expression, Kathleen replied, "Probably. The O'Sianhan power is weaker in men, and his abilities have been suppressed for much of his life."

"Yeah. In theory, this could work," Molly said. "_In theory" being the key phrase,_ she thought as she anxiously took another sip of her coffee. Suddenly, she realized the odd situation she had found herself in, and couldn't help but smirk.

_So this is what it's like to be Fiona._

* * *

Jack didn't bother to really think about his move before he pushed a random red checker forward on the board, which was painted on to a stone table. This game didn't really matter to either he or his grandfather - it was simply a way to pass the time while a couple of Colin's friends used the group's chess pieces. Besides, Jack had more on his mind than the game he was supposed to be playing. Ever since he had that odd, scary conversation with his mother the other day, he hadn't been able to stop worrying about his mother's mental health. She had seemed a complete wreck, and he wanted to press the issue more, but she'd been keeping herself busy.

Although he was thrilled that she wasn't acting moody and distant, like she often did when something was bothering her, he was still concerned that might be trying to pretend that she was fine. He _knew_ that she'd been extremely upset and troubled by all of his sister's paranormal crap (and he was annoyed at Fi for it, but that was another issue). But yet, ever since she and Fi went upstairs to talk the day before, she'd almost been...happy. But how could that be when she had been so distressed before?

The only sensible reasoning was that somehow, someway, his mother and sister had said their usual apologies to end yet another fight. This always happened. They would fight, not speak to each other for a while, then one of them would initiate the make up talk. Then they would be fine for a while until the process repeated itself. Jack had learned long ago to pretend like he couldn't tell anything was wrong, even when he stayed up lying in bed at night, agonizing over the state of his family. Once in a while one of them would ask for his opinion on the issue, but he usually tried to avoid giving straight advice, so he didn't appear to be taking sides. Even though more often than not he sided with his mother, and Fi always knew when he did.

But this didn't feel like one of their usual fights. Really, this one had been going on since New York, just in various arguments and stretches of peace. So really, one conversation should _not_ have been able to fix the complicated problems between them.

This had to be the result of a huge compromise on the part of either his mother or sister...and Jack feared the worst. After all, Fi was not known for her willingness to see her family's side of the situation. Judging by the way his mother was talking, he could only guess that she had finally caved and agreed to actually start believing his sister's wild stories.

Which could only mean one thing - the beginning of the end.

_My life is going to be a nuthouse_, he thought. _So far they've kept me out of it, but how long before they try to break me? But I will _never_ believe _any_ of it. Because the paranormal _does not_ exist! It's the result of mixed up logic and weird coincidences. _None_ of it is real._

_Now why can't they understand that?_

He blinked and rubbed his eyes, his intention to at least seem like he was paying any attention to the game. However, his efforts were too late, as he realized his grandfather was staring at him, worried. "Sorry Grandpa," Jack apologized. "I've just...got a lot on my mind."

"I guessed as much. It's been your turn for over a minute," Colin pointed out, a hint of amusement in his face. He then paused, like he was having an internal debate, then finally sighed. "I guess if you wanted to talk about whatever was bothering you, we could."

Though it wasn't an offer bursting with concern, Jack still appreciated it. Colin was not known for his willingness to talk about a problem, his or someone else's. His theory was that people should deal with what they've been given, and not place the burden on another. That in mind, Jack shook his head. "No, I'm okay. Nothing I can't work out myself."

"Alright. Now I can get back to beating you in checkers," Colin said with a teasing grin. He studied the board for about half a minute, then confidently moved one of his pieces.

Jack took less time than that to make a move, his thoughts still preoccupied. However, this time he tried to keep up some conversation. "You mean like you've been 'beating' me in pool?" he joked back.

"Funny, boy," Colin retorted as he considered his next move. "I am impressed by your pool playing skills, though. Who taught you?"

"Mr. B, mostly. He's kind of like the cool uncle Fi and I never had," Jack explained, a smile on his face while he thought of his childhood, the majority of it spent at the Bell's house. They really were his and Fi's extended family in every way that counted.

After he'd moved his piece, Colin nodded in agreement. "I may not have always approved of your mother's career in show business...there are so many awful stories of singers and actors ruining their lives. I was extremely relieved when she stuck with such good people." At Jack's raised eyebrow, Colin added, "Oh, sure, your grandmother and I were a little concerned when we learned Ned was an ex-biker. But life is harder than it needs to be when you don't look past first impressions."

"Very true," Jack replied as his own experiences with various people Fi had met came to mind. He thought for only a second before he moved a checker. "I wonder how everything's going at home...I should call Carey and Clu later."

After he slid his own checker two spaces, Colin said, "Tell them I said hello."

"Will do," Jack assured him. About to take his turn, he was distracted when his grandmother, mother, and sister came into view. They had been walking around the park and were just turning the corner on the path that led to the chess area. Instead of coming over to him and Colin however, they sat at a bench and continued what looked like a serious discussion.

He suddenly got _very_ nervous when Fi quickly glanced at him in surprise, then diverted her gaze the instant she realized he'd noticed her.

_Uh oh_, Jack thought, uneasiness in his stomach. He couldn't begin to imagine what _that_ had been about. If it was just Fi and Kathleen, he'd be worried it had something to do with all the witchcraft nonsense they'd been talking about. But if Mom was with them...they couldn't be, right? His mother would never sit through a full conversation about that. They _had_ to be discussing something else. Or maybe Mom was just recounting the talk she'd had with him the other day, although it wasn't like her to chat about questioning her sanity.

His gut feeling was telling him that unfortunately, he'd find out in the near future. His sister wasn't the type to keep anything to herself. He could only hope that he was panicking, and that it really wasn't a big deal.

"I'll never understand them," Jack muttered, more to himself than his grandfather.

However, Colin answered anyway...probably since he was still waiting for Jack to take a turn. "I'd get used to it, boy. No one ever said women were easy to understand..._especially_ ones in your own family."

"Don't you ever get frustrated, though?" Jack insisted. "For instance, I've been trying to protect Fi all my life. But it never seems to do any good. I mean...I'm still mad at myself for what happened in New York. Why didn't I stop her from dragging Aunt Rachel to that building?"

Much to his surprise, Colin narrowed his eyes, a serious expression on his face. "Jack, I'll be the first to say there's a place in today's world for chivalry. This may sound slightly cliche, but you have to realize that Fiona can take care of herself, and is therefore responsible for her own actions. You should still watch out for her, but you need to step back and realize that she is a smart, capable young woman."

Effectively put in his place, Jack could only stare back at his grandfather. Of course, he had been telling himself that for years to ease the guilt whenever his sister ended up hurt or in trouble. But how was he supposed to _not_ feel responsible for her? Because his father wasn't there, Jack had appointed himself his sister's protector as soon as he was old enough to know what it meant. He didn't know if he could let go of the role just because she was growing up. "I guess so," Jack finally said. "But I'll never be able to stop worrying about her."

"Who said you would?" Colin replied.

Jack nodded in acknowledgment, then moved a checker. Since they were having a good talk, he decided to address another issue that had been bothering him. "But it's not like Fi's just any little sister," Jack continued. "Boys, other drama...that I can handle. But it's this stupid paranormal junk that just drives me _crazy_. And I know she's breaking Mom down too, I just know it."

And then he realized that maybe that was why he hated his family's involvement in the paranormal. It was beyond his reach, too out there for him to even understand, never mind control.

"First of all, I'd stop calling it 'stupid' and 'junk,'" Colin pointed out. "I'm sure that isn't helping anyone. Second, it's just like anything else - stay out of the way and trust that she knows that she's doing. I've been doing the same with your grandmother for years."

_That_ made Jack glance at him in confusion. "Grandma? She was never into that ju...stuff, was she?"

As if realizing a slip, Colin paused, then shrugged. "Ask your grandmother if you want to know."

Jack looked to where his family was sitting, and again thought of his grandmother helping his sister with her most recent paranormal problem. "Yeah, I probably don't," Jack replied, then used all his will power to make himself focus on the game.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

After all she'd been through in the past few days, Molly was still a little terrified when she entered the flea market the next day. Of course, it helped that she had her mother and daughter at her side, but just the _thought_ of talking to Nora again made her want to turn around and run back to the car. She'd never felt comfortable with the confrontation thing (understatement of the year, really), but she'd actually prefer that over going back to Nora now and having to admit that the older woman had been right all those years.

Well, not completely right. Molly still firmly believed that Nora had been _way_ too pushy. And she'd stick by that argument if the two ended up having a conversation.

But so far the plan was just to get the rings back, and Molly wasn't above trying to worm her way out of it. "You know, why don't you two go ahead? I think I see Gwen over there, I'll just go say hi..."

"Nice try, Mom," Fi said as she pulled her mother's arm back. "You're coming with us. Grandma, back me up here."

After she chuckled, Kathleen nodded. "Molly, I understand that you and Nora have a complicated history. I realize her attitude towards you was inappropriate at times, especially her insistence that you take up the craft. But you need to put that behind you. She could prove to be a useful asset to both Fiona and you in the future." Kathleen paused, then hesitantly added, "And personally, I've been waiting to see the day that my best friend and my daughter don't hate each other."

_Sure, go for the guilt trip. Classy, Ma_, Molly thought bitterly. As usual, she swallowed her protest and replied, "Fine, let's get this over with."

The trio of O'Sianhan witches made their way to the back of the flea market in near-silence, all busy with their own dread of what the meeting would bring. Molly let out a long, deep breath when they rounded the corner into the aisle of Nora's stand. They approached it with Fi and Kathleen taking the lead, Molly purposefully a few steps behind.

At Fi's approach, Nora looked up expectantly and smiled, two ring-sized brown leather purses in her hand. Her smile morphed into a look of surprise when she spotted Molly. "Oh my..." she whispered, then cleared her throat. "Hello."

The greeting was clearly directed at Molly. "Hello, Nora," she replied while she tried not to think of how their previous meeting. As if anticipating a fight, Kathleen and Fiona wisely stood to the side and were tense as the other two proceeded.

"I didn't think you'd come back after...the other day," Nora admitted, curiosity on her face.

"Trust me, I don't want to be here," Molly assured her. When her mother gave her a warning glance, she sighed. "Alright, I guess I'll just come out an say it. I'm starting to...'open my eyes.'" Molly felt a little satisfied, and therefore more confident, when Nora's eyes expressed uncharacteristic complete shock. "There have been a few...incidents, that I couldn't deny, And I want to support my daughter. So if that means coming over here and eating my words..."

But Nora was shaking her head. "No, Molly, I never wanted you to practice or even just believe to prove a point. Yes, there was some concern about the end of the O'Sianhan line, but...I just knew you'd never be happy until you accepted who you are," she admitted. "I've known plenty of people, born witches and aware of their heritage but tried to pretend it didn't exist. They could never be content because of their intense, ever-present denial."

Nora then lowered her eyes, shame in her features. "Maybe it is my fault, then. I wasn't gentle enough, didn't let you form your own beliefs. And for that I am truly sorry."

Taken aback, Molly needed a few seconds to figure out how to respond to that. Our of the corner of her eye, she saw that Fi's eyes were wide, and her mother's jaw had actually dropped.

Of _course_ Molly had dreamed of Nora saying those words when she was young, so sick of the woman's nagging that she wished for the day it would all go away. But the words had come at a different time in her life than she'd expected...and when Molly was ready to accept magic, not escape it. But the apology had almost the same impact as it would have back then, a quick and forceful resolution of some still-painful childhood issues.

It was so ironic that she almost wanted to groan. Back then, she had felt trapped by others' insistence of the paranormal, unable to develop her own thoughts or go against what she was told. There she was, a grown woman with Nora apologizing for that insistence, free to make her own choices...and her choice was to believe.

"Thank you, Nora, I..." Molly trailed off. Even though Nora had just made a beautiful apology, Molly still wasn't sure if she wanted to return the favor. But she _knew_ her teenage self had been incredibly rude, and then was as good a time as any to say she was sorry for it. "A-and I do apologize, for how I treated you, the remarks I said, the names I called you. Everything just got so out of hand."

Nora nodded in agreement. "And I regret that we took until now to address it."

Because it seemed to be the right thing to do, Molly and Nora shared a quick, awkward hug that lasted no more than a second. Still, it was enough for Fi and Kathleen to feel comfortable with joining the two in conversation again. "So Nora, are the rings ready?"

"I have them right here, Fiona," Nora assured her as she slid each ring from its protective pouch and handed it to its respective owner. "The pouches are yours, of course. I just want to make sure you put them on right away. I actually regret it took me a couple of days to cast the connection spell, as neither of you can afford to be unprotected for long."

As Molly slid hers on at about the same time her daughter did the same, they both gasped when the rings instantly started emitting a bright golden light, then faded down to a soft glow. When the light wasn't distracting her senses anymore, Molly was shocked when she felt...almost a rush of power, that surged through her body and seemed to solidify into a shield.

"_Oh_," she whispered in surprise. A quick glance at her daughter's stunned face proved that Fi was going through the same sensation.

What was odd was that she could even feel even her own magic along with the ring's power in her, when she almost never had before. Maybe because she was finally willing to admit it was there.

* * *

"This may sound...weird..." Fi said as she went through the large box filled with magical items on her grandmother's bed. "But I'm still trying to get used to the whole 'my grandma used to be a powerful witch' thing, and...this isn't helping."

Molly let out a chuckle. "Baby, how do you think I feel?"

After dinner that night, the men had gone back down to their basement hideout, and the women had used the opportunity to address the issue of removing the shield spell. Despite her mother's concerns, Fi had made up her mind in the short time she had to make the decision. She _needed_ to have access to her full power when she went up against this demon...she could just feel that urgency there. And she also felt that if she _did_ have this power in her, she was meant to use it.

So, Kathleen had pulled out yet another box of items used for witchcraft...but she revealed, much to her family's surprise, that they were hers, not mementos passed down from her mother. Fi and Molly could only stare in awe when Kathleen began to pull out smaller boxes of gems and other ceremonial tools.

But Fi only did a double take when her grandmother pulled out an actual _cauldron_, though a small one. "A cauldron, Grandma?" she asked in disbelief. "Really?"

The cast-iron cauldron in her hands, Kathleen held it out for them to examine. "Yes, a _cauldron_. I know, it's a bit cliche, but believe it or not, some human stereotypes of witches do come from truth. Most of us do resent it, though. I can assure you, you won't find a big black hat in my closet."

_Human_, Fi thought, slightly thrown off by her grandmother's casual use of the term. _Meaning that the three of us _aren't_._ Of course, Fi knew that by accepting her witch heritage she'd never be able to feel normal again...similar to her mother's feelings on the matter, she guessed. While being normal had never been a major concern, Fi was still overwhelmed by how much the inadvertent label of "non-human" made this all so much more real. Sometimes, the various creatures she encountered didn't seem like they could possibly exist in the modern world. But knowing that not only witches existed, but that they did so alongside everyday humans...it helped bring the concept to life.

She dared to glance at her mother, who didn't seem to be having the same positive reaction. Molly's face had gone pale, her hand over her mouth.

Bewildered, Kathleen glanced at the two, an eyebrow raised. "What did I say?"

"Human," Fi replied simply.

The one-word answer was enough. Kathleen's eyes widened in realization, regret in her features. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be so blunt. I know you two are still adjusting."

Still in the recovery process, Molly opened her mouth as if to reply, closed it, then managed to sputter, "S-so I-I'm..._we're_...not..."

"To be honest, I wouldn't put too much stock in it," Kathleen quickly said in an obvious attempt to reassure them. "It's just a way the magical community refers to those without power." She then paused and shook her head at her granddaughter. "If _you're_ unnerved by this, I can only imagine how your brother is going to react."

Both Fi and Molly groaned at the thought as Fi's mind flashed to their earlier conversation with Nora.

_After the rings were given back, Nora gave some more information on what she had done to them, like increasing the protection they provided. Eventually Kathleen brought up the shield spell, and after Nora had apologized for keeping it secret - as Morai had insisted on all those years - she told them the story of when Rick had approached her._

_"When Fiona called me to ask me for this favor, I...I was shocked she would support such a thing," Nora began, a nostalgic expression on her face. "She always wanted the O'Sianhan line to live on...which was also part of why I was so hard on you, Molly." At Molly's nod, she continued, "But she explained that...that these were different circumstances. That Rick had angered some evil spirits and needed to be sure that his family would be safe, even if he wouldn't be."_

Fi remembered a tear in her eye at that point, as Bricriu's claims of her father being killed by evil were somewhat confirmed. Once more, she wondered just what her father had been involved with in the time before he was killed.

_Nora paused to let the words sink in, then went on, "Naturally, I was afraid for your family, even tried to get Rick to tell me what was going on so that I could help him. But he insisted that telling me about his situation would only place me in danger as well. So I did what I could by casting the spell."_

_"How did you cast it?" Kathleen asked. _

_Fi knew what Kathleen meant, as they had discussed it in the park earlier. Fortunately, Nora knew exactly what the question implied as well. "Whenever I cast an important spell like that, I'm very careful about it, take every possibility into consideration. I _never_ advocate an encompassing shield spell unless in an emergency...the permission required makes it all so messy. So, I cast them separately in the event that it was ever safe enough to continue the O'Sianhan line."_

_All three of the O'Sianhan women let out a collective sigh of relief. "So we _don't_ have to get Jack involved. Thank goodness," Molly replied._

_"Well, I wouldn't say that," Nora replied. When the other three became panicked again, she explained, "Don't worry, you can still restore Fi's power without it. But whenever you cast the same spell on siblings, the two spells become connected. So, when you remove the one on Fi, Jack's will be severely weakened. Not only will he not be as protected, but some of whatever power he has may develop."_

_After about two seconds of incredulous silence, Kathleen pressed, "But the witches in the O'Sianhan line are primarily women. He probably doesn't even have power..." She then gave Nora a questioning look, as if suddenly remembering what the witch's ability was. "...does he?"_

_Nora hesitated, which alone was enough to worry Fi. She paused, as if forming her words, then finally answered, "I...I don't know. I definitely sensed an other worldly presence, but...I wasn't quite sure of what it was. I concluded that it was the O'Sianhan magic, just so faint that I couldn't grasp it. And that's probably what it was. So yes, there is a chance he could receive his power as well. You could restore his shield with his participation, though."_

_"But Jack will never even _listen_ to us if we try to tell him," Molly insisted. "He already thinks _I've_ gone off the deep end."_

_Fi nodded in agreement. "So we'll have to take the risk."_

* * *

Lost in thought, Fi took some time to notice her mother and grandmother staring at her with concern."Right, sorry. I'm just worried about Jack," she explained.

"I understand, but like you've been saying, we have to take the risk," Kathleen insisted as she unpacked more items from the box, just to leave them out to show the other two. She'd already explained that the spell would only require four amethyst crystals. "This evil creature is out there, and it's going to come after you whether you are protected or not, apparently. You need to be prepared."

Molly shook her head. "I really don't feel comfortable doing this to Jack. What if he starts getting visions and thinks he's going insane? He probably wouldn't even tell us, just keep it to himself and hope it goes away. I know that's how I would react."

"Mom has a point. A really good one," Fiona agreed, anxiety in her voice. That was actually _exactly_ how she imagined her brother's reaction would go. "Is there maybe a way we could be able to watch him, and tell if he's gotten any power?"

After a second of thought, Kathleen answered, "Your rings. I'd imagine that they may start to glow around Jack at first, in reaction to the sudden appearance of power. Enchanted objects do tend to respond to those with magic, especially when it's new."

"That's good, we'll keep an eye out then," Fi replied as her mother also indicated agreement. Although being able to detect power in her brother didn't make her feel any better. The hard...no, nearly impossible part would be convincing Jack that he had it.

Kathleen gave them a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, loves. Given the O'Sianhan history, Jack probably won't even have power, and you'll have worried for nothing."

"When have any of us ever been that lucky?" Molly asked rhetorically, which caused the other two to chuckle. However, they all knew she had another good point.

In an effort to get them refocused on the task at hand, Kathleen pushed the big box over to the side and slid over one of the smaller boxes. She opened the shiny, dark wood box to reveal an interior that almost resembled a jewelery case. However, the various compartments were filled with gems of all textures and colors. While her daughter and granddaughter stared in amazement, she said, "Now, let's get this spell over with before you both change your minds, shall we?"

"R-right," Fi sputtered as she got off the bed in preparation...then realized she had no idea what casting the spell would entail. "What do I have to do?"

Kathleen took out four smooth, medium-sized purple gems from a compartment. "You have to stand in a circle of these stones, which are called amethyst, to represent the shield. You and another witch outside of the circle have to read a spell in unison." She then glanced at Molly. "It would be better if you did it, love. I've consciously pushed down my power for many years. Right now, you're probably stronger than I am."

"Ma, I..." Molly nervously glanced from her mother to her daughter, who both wore pleading looks. She let out a deep breath. "There really is no such thing as keeping a distance from this stuff, is there?"

As she laughed, Fi gave her mother a grateful hug. "Nope, sorry Mom."

In the space between the bed and the front wall, Kathleen placed the four stones in a circle. When Fi stepped in, she held the other hand over the stone between them. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath in concentration, then chanted, "_Orbis_." Both Fi and Molly gasped when lines formed between the stones, outlining the circle with a deep purple light, the same color as the gems.

Fi watched until the light faded, then began to clench and unclench her fist over her ring - which had also glowed during that instant - in a nervous gesture. Despite all her experiences with the supernatural, she still felt somewhat awkward just _standing_ in a circle before her mother and grandmother. "So now we read the spell?" she pressed, surprisingly eager to get the whole ordeal over with.

After she'd dug through the box for another card, Kathleen held it in one hand while she indicated that Molly stand in front of Fi with the other. She read the spell aloud for them once, then asked, "Are you both ready?"

Fi repeated the spell in her head one more time, and nodded. Molly did the same. Mother and daughter turned to each other, both slightly shaking with nerves. However, when they began the spell, it was in a united, clear voice:

_A spell was cast with intentions pure_

_But at this time it can not endure_

_This witch accepts what may be_

_So lift her shield and let her see_

No one moved.

About to collapse from sheer anticipation, Fi wanted to kneel down in the circle and close her eyes until it was all over. But she remained standing, her eyes wide with fright. All this time, she had been focusing on getting her power to fight the demon. But she hadn't thought about what it would feel like _to_ receive her magic. Would it feel like an intense bolt of lightening going through her body?

Her fears were confirmed when the gems began to glow again, but this time the light shot up around Fi in a column. It quickly shot back down, without inflicting any physical harm, but Fi had still forced her eyes closed in reflex.

There was something new there, definitely. But it wasn't a clear sensation she could name. She was simply...different. Complete, maybe that was a better word. In a way she supposed this was what finding her true love would be - that sense of attaining the one piece missing from her life, even though she never knew she hadn't been whole.

Then came the awareness of her heightened senses. The sound of birds outside, the flowery smell of her grandmother's perfume, the section of her hair lying on her shoulder. No shock of electricity was flowing through her body, but she _was_ energized, more so than that time she had five cups of coffee in two hours.

After she felt she had taken the proper time to explore her new state of being, she slowly opened her eyes. Then blinked and looked down, as if just exposed to a bright light. In a way, she had been. The colors of the room were so vibrant that she'd been overwhelmed.

"It worked," Kathleen whispered, though to Fiona, her grandmother might as well have shouted in her ear. In fact, Fi wasn't sure she hadn't.

Concerned, Molly replied, "How can you tell? Fiona, baby, are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine..." Fi tried to assure them, her eyes still lowered. "But can you please get me a pair of sunglasses or something? And lower your voices?"

"Don't worry, love. Nora told me you might experience this. The unexpected energy of your power is fueling your senses. It should wear off in no more than a day."

Upset, Fi retorted, "A _day_? Another five minutes of this is going to drive me nuts, I..." She then realized she was still standing in the circle, staring at the floor. "Can I at least lie down?"

"Of course," Kathleen replied. Fi had closed her eyes again, and could only assume that her grandmother placed a hand over the stone again, since she could sense Kathleen right in front of her. The _Orbis_ spell was whispered, and when Kathleen had moved, Fi blindly stumbled out of the circle.

She felt her mother's arm at her elbow, which guided her to the bed to sit down. "Here, baby, try to relax," her mother said in a barely audible whisper. "You're going to be alright."

When Molly wrapped her daughter in a comforting hug, Fi could only bury her head in her mother's shoulder and sob.


	10. Epilogue

A/N: This is the end for now, but I already started working on the sequel. It will be called "Lineage II: Daydreams" and should be posted soon. The story will focus on Jack this time, but will also address the demon issue, the aftermath of Fi receiving her magic, and Molly's new acceptance of the supernatural. Thanks so much to un7derestimated for all of the amazingly awesome reviews! If anyone else has been reading this, I'd love some feedback, both on this story and any suggestions for the sequel. Thanks for reading!

* * *

**Epilogue**

Fear took over her emotions. The confusion, the morbid curiosity...it all faded into the background. Fiona could only feel the terror of where she was, of what may come.

Tears began to fall, and she didn't bother to wipe them away. No one appeared to be around to see them. The rooftop was as empty as when she had been trapped there the first time, the door to the stairs closed behind her. She was even wearing the same clothes. If she was having a nightmare, she honestly wondered why it had taken her so long. Really, she'd think that recurring nightmares of a traumatic event would start the night after it happened, not three weeks later.

"D-daddy?" she called out through her tears. Apparently, receiving her powers had left her an emotional mess, which probably explained her break down the night before. Her grandmother had said not to worry, it was just another side effect of unlocking magic.

There was no response. Fi rubbed her arms, as the rooftop was colder than before, and began to walk around. Maybe if she started moving, something would happen that would eventually lead to this dream's end. She doubted it would if she just stood there.

But before she could take five steps, she heard a voice behind her.

"Fiona."

Relief pushed aside the fear as she whirled around. She'd expected to see her father in the transparent form...but was shocked when he appeared to be in a solid body. She ran to him and threw her arms around her father, for the first time she could remember. "Daddy," she whispered. "What's going on? Am...am I dreaming?"

"No, baby," Rick answered, his hug just as tight as hers. "I'm here."

When Fi reluctantly broke away, she stared up at her father in awe. "B-but how? You've never come to me like this before."

"I've never been able to," Rick replied simply.

"You mean...because of the spell we cast," Fi replied. When he nodded, she almost wanted to laugh with gratitude. In that moment, all the unpleasant side effects of restoring her magic were worth it. "I've read about this. Psychics or mediums draw ghosts to them because of their paranormal energy. The boost makes it easier for ghosts to appear."

Rick gave her a proud smile. "That's right. Your impressive knowledge of the supernatural is what has gotten you this far. But in order to defeat this evil, you will need to embrace your magic as well."

"This evil...what is it, Daddy? It is a demon, right? How do I fight it?" Fiona asked, not bothering to hide her need for answers. She wasn't going to make the same mistake as last time, when she had barely asked him one.

Anxiety in his face, Rick hesitated before he replied, "It is a demon, but a special kind called the Ora. It's one of several powerful demons who police the line between this world and the evil one, to make sure it isn't crossed by a being of good. Much like you have done in the past two years, I helped numerous innocent humans fight off evil creatures, and in the process..."

"Crossed that line and got yourself killed by the Ora," Fi finished for him. When he blinked at her in surprise, she realized that maybe she was a little more blunt than was tactful. She hadn't known where the sudden anger had come from...maybe some resentment that he might still be alive had he just stayed away from it all. But she knew that was selfish, as he probably helped dozens of people in the process, much like she had. "Sorry., I'm just...mad for the wrong reason. That spell really messed me up."

Rick nodded. "It is an intense spell." He paused as he stared at her, a thoughtful look on his face. "Although, if I had maybe been more careful, refused some cases, maybe things _would_ have turned out differently. Your mother would probably agree."

Guilty that she had upset him in their short time together, Fi shook her head. "No. She loves you, misses you so much. We all do."

"I know, I love you all too," Rick said, then suddenly became apologetic. "And I'm so sorry. That's why I'm here, Fiona. I know you and your mother must be so angry for keeping this from you. But especially you, for keeping your power hidden. I hope you can understand that my only intention was to protect you."

He was right, on some level. Of course Fi couldn't help but feel some anger that she never knew she'd had magical abilities. She might have been better prepared against all of the evil she'd encountered the last two years. While she persevered, she also would have had an easier time of it, probably. She also missed what could have been, had she known of her heritage and how to effectively use her power.

But then, like she had when she first learned of the spell, she thought of her mostly happy, normal childhood. That wouldn't have been possible with demons coming after her all the time. Given her natural curiosity, combined with magical powers, who knew what trouble she might have gotten herself into at a young age? She might not have _survived_ her childhood.

"It's okay, Daddy, really," Fi assured him. "Yeah, a part of me wishes that I did have my power all those years, but...for the most part I'm just grateful that you kept me safe. Thank you."

Overwhelmed with relief, he hugged her again. "Thank _you_, baby, for being such an amazing daughter. I love you so much."

"I love you too," Fi replied.

When they broke apart, Rick said, "Please also tell your mother how sorry I am that I kept this from her. That I'm sorry for all the times I made her worry, for...everything. And that I love her. Hopefully now that she has opened her eyes, I will be able to tell her on my own...but until then..."

"I'll tell her," Fi assured him. When she sensed that their time together was almost up, she quickly asked, "Daddy...am I going to be able to beat this thing?"

Confident, Rick nodded. "Knowing you, I'm sure you will."

_"Fiona?"_

Her mother's disembodied voice floated over them, and Fi knew that Molly must have been trying to wake her up. "I don't want to go," she pleaded.

"Don't worry, baby. We'll see each other again like this, I promise."

And then suddenly, he was moving away from her, the whole scene was. It was fading, faster and faster, until it all blurred together. "Daddy!" she called in panic. "_Daddy_!"

"Fiona, baby, wake up!"

The shock of coming back from her dream caused Fi to twist and turn in her bed, until her mother finally grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "Fiona!"

She was finally awake, her eyes open, her heart pounding. "Daddy..." Fiona whimpered, her hand over her heart in yearning.

"Oh, Fi, were you dreaming about your father again?" Molly asked, sympathy in her voice as she sat on the side of the bed, her arm around her daughter's shoulders. "When you first looked scared, I was afraid that maybe you might be having your first vision, then you started smiling in your sleep..."

After she'd caught her breath, Fi shook her head. "It _was_ a vision, Mom. But I didn't see the future...I saw Daddy. I talked to him. He told me it wasn't a dream, that he could visit me because the spell was lifted. I really _talked_ to him."

This is the part where her mother would usually insist it was a dream. But instead, she seemed genuinely surprised by the information, happy even. "I believe you, baby," she assured her. "I'm just...what did he say?"

"That he's sorry. For making you worry, and for the secrets he kept from you. And that he loves you," Fi informed her. She then studied her mother's reaction carefully, curious what it would be.

There was a soft, quick gasp, but then Molly seemed to freeze, her eyes wide. "No..." she whispered. "No. Next time you see him, if you do...please tell him that I'm so sorry I pushed him away...that I didn't even compromise after a while...that I was so stubborn."

Her mother had a faraway look on her face, and Fi wasn't sure if Molly was even talking to her anymore. It was just as well, because Fi's jaw had dropped in surprise. She'd always known that her parents had fought over the supernatural, but she hadn't realized it had been so bad. Fi was tempted to reassure her and say that her father was going to try and make contact, but she didn't want to get her mother's hopes up. Finally, she just nodded. "I will."

* * *

Before they started the long car ride home, Fi and her mother had their last meeting with Kathleen in the kitchen, while Jack and Colin squeezed in just one more game of pool. Fi and Molly were finishing up the story of what happened that morning over homemade Irish soda bread and tea. "...he told me about the Ora, how they attack good beings who fight against evil, basically," Fi was saying after they'd gotten past the more emotional aspects of the "dream." She then gave her grandmother a hopeful look. "Do you know anything about them?"

Her mouth still full of bread, Kathleen considered the question while she chewed. "The Ora...I've heard the name before. I think my mother mentioned them to me a few times during my training." She then frowned as the memory came to her. "As in, if she ever caught me fighting evil, she'd get me before the Ora could. Going after evil is very dangerous, and only the most powerful witches should attempt it."

"Then...how did _Rick_ do it? He doesn't have any power..." Molly then paused, her mouth slightly open in shock. "Oh my God, he..."

But Kathleen shook her head. "I don't think so, love. While learning about the Ora, my mother also told me that occasionally, there would be gifted humans who could fight as well. Not gifted in the magical sense, but as in with intelligence, curiosity, and compassion for others, which would lead to their many triumphs against evil. Over the years, my mother and I concluded that Rick was one of these humans." She then gave them a sad frown. "And the Ora hates them with a passion. If Rick had not died in that car accident, I imagine an Ora demon would have gotten him."

Guilty, Fi kept quiet for a minute while she ate some soda bread. She was tempted to tell them the truth about the car accident, but...she just couldn't. Her mother was doing surprisingly well with her new acceptance. Fi just _knew_ that this information would break Molly's heart, to the point of driving her back into her previous state of denial. So once again, Fi kept quiet about it and ate some of her bread while the other two talked.

Eager to get the subject off her husband's death, Molly replied, "So, now that we know what's after Fi...how do we fight it?"

"I...I'm not sure," Kathleen confessed, though her tone revealed she wished she could be more helpful. "They're not just any little demon you could vanquish with a spell. I'd imagine it would take both of you, maybe even me, and a powerful potion-spell combination. Or maybe there's an enchanted object it requires, I really wouldn't know. I'll talk to Nora about it though."

Anxious as she was reminded that a demon was out there who wanted her dead, Fi gulped down the last of her tea, its warmth something of a comfort. "Grandma...do you think it will attack again, soon? I mean, should I be keeping potions handy at all times?"

"I think you have time to prepare while he plots his next attack, if that's what you mean," Kathleen replied. When Fi became more nervous, Kathleen squeezed her hand. "You'll be fine, love. You have us behind you. And the rest of the O'Sianhan women. You can be assured, your father is not the only soul watching over you."

Their talk was ended when Jack and Colin entered from the hallway. "Victory is mine!" Colin exclaimed as he patted his grandson's shoulder. "I finally beat this boy!"

"Yeah, yeah. Look, it was our last game, you hadn't won all week, so I let you win," Jack insisted, but his argument sounded weak.

And Colin wasn't buying it. "Don't listen to him, the sore loser." He then glanced through the window at the car outside. "Do you need help getting your bags to the car?"

"Nope, all done, Da," Molly said as she got up from the table. "All that's left to do is say good-bye."

After Fi and Molly helped clear the table, and the group grabbed their jackets and made their way to the car. "Now, you all have a good trip." Kathleen handed Molly something wrapped in tin foil. "Here's the rest of the Irish soda bread in case you or the kids get hungry, and don't you dare make this drive all in one go. There are plenty of rest stops along the way."

"Love you too, Ma," Molly joked as she took the soda bread and kissed her mother's cheek. "I'll call you when we get home."

After she'd hugged her grandfather good-bye, she turned to her grandmother. "Bye, Grandma," she said as the two hugged. "I'll make sure to keep in touch."

"You better. I want to hear every detail, about everything," Kathleen replied, then hugged Fiona again. "And love, _please_ be careful."

"I'll try," Fi assured her. They weren't empty words. While she may have been a little reckless in her past investigations, she knew that unlocking her magic, and having a powerful demon as an enemy, changed everything.

As her family got into the car, Fi reflected on how true that was. Up until then, any encounter with the paranormal was random and solved in the moment. But...but she couldn't treat it as a side interest anymore. The paranormal had become her life. She was part of it. And she needed to learn all she could so she would be able to protect herself and her family.

But she had also gained some information from this trip as well. Her grandmother had once been a powerful witch, and had passed that power on to her daughter and granddaughter. Amazingly enough, her mother was finally accepting magic.

And Fi would be able to see her father in her dreams.


End file.
